


Intra-Hearts: Interlude | Intra-Hearts

by DeathByMidnightCinderella (DeathByOtome)



Series: Intra-Hearts [2]
Category: Midnight Cinderella (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bullying, Minor Character Death, Multi, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Polyamory, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-11-28 13:45:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 158,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11419224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByOtome/pseuds/DeathByMidnightCinderella
Summary: You grew up with them. You’ve known them all for years. Those beautiful boys, the ones everyone adore, are yours. Sealed in a friendship you all swore into, you are a part of their family, and they are a part of yours.You’ve all been secure for a long time. But now, everything changes.You promised to never love them as more than friends, to only ever see them in an innocent light. You made an oath to yourself to never do that, to only ever be their friend, but now it’s all falling apart. The network of security that’s held you together all through your life is collapsing beneath you. Most people can only love once at any one time.Your heart has finally been unlocked, and the love it holds for the nine most important people in your life has been unleashed. They’re changing, and so are you.Will you let yourself love them, and will they love you in return?





	1. Part I | Welcome to Wysteria

**Author's Note:**

> Main Perspective: Second person, “You” / Reader (With some ambiguous perspectives throughout, in appropriate sections.) The perspective for this is almost entirely second person, but will extend to other characters intermittently, when appropriate.
> 
> Within this universe, the regions of Stein, Wysteria, Laurelia, Protea, Fairmark, Carallia, Bergenia and Alder etc. are located on Earth, most likely in the Atlantic ocean near Europe (for the sake of keeping to the game’s location).
> 
> This story does have extremely frequent mentions of contact between the reader and all of the suitors (meaning the original nine without Rayvis, as he was added long after I finished this), and such touching is a main theme throughout, so please be wary of this and avoid reading if you’re not entirely comfortable with it.

**♡♔♡**

_"Nnngh..."_

_Your breath shakes out of you as you shudder in his grasp, feeling his hands roam down your body. Your skin prickles at the touch, his chest so warm and solid against your back. A whimper escapes you, his lips suckling on the skin of your delicate neck._

_"Princess..."_

_His low voice reverberates through his chest and into yours, a strong arm curling around your stomach, holding you against him tighter. A weak attempt at saying his name stutters out of your mouth, and he simply presses a finger against your lips, making a hushing sound._

_"You're mine."_

_A blurred world surrounds you, and yet his face is clear as he tilts your head up. Resting the back of it on his shoulder, he attacks the exposed area of your throat, lips and tongue and teeth claiming the territory as their own._

_"All mine."_

_Your legs go weak as you tremble, feeling his fingers caress the front of your clothes. The tips trail up and down, from your chest to your stomach, before resting there. Your vision swims. You call his name helplessly, feeling his other hand sliding under the material to ghost over your soft flesh._

_"I love you."_

_And the world spins. He gathers you up in his arms, then lays you down on the soft blankets on the bed. He gives you no time to catch your breath, rather stealing it away, consuming your lips with his own, leaving you panting and shaking under him._

_"It's time to wake up, Princess."_

 

**♡♔♡**

"___, wake up."

"Gah!"

Your body jolts as you come around, hand flying out to remove the source of the voice from your personal space. As your eyes open, deft fingers clamp around your wrist and stop it, a chuckle following afterwards. You look down, sitting up slightly, to see who it belongs to.

"Giles?"

The said Christophe sits beside you on the bed, perched on your left, orange-red orbs watching you with amusement. He wears a black vest over a white t-shirt, with black skinny jeans and a pair of burgundy converse. The latter match his hair almost perfectly, it being tied back into its usual ponytail. A single stud earring can be seen in his right ear, shaped like a diamond and a pleasant shade of violet. "Good morning, Princess."

Giles is one of your best friends; you have nine of them in total. Yeah, nine of them, and they're all boys. Before you ask, you didn't befriend them for their looks, or for popularity in school. It was because when you met them, they were alone, just like you. You wanted to bring together the people who had no one, and so you pulled the nine together to form a new group.

And you've never regretted doing it; they're all the loveliest people you've ever met, and they're everything you could ever want in those you can say you love to pieces. You would take bullets, would do anything, would even die for them all.

Granted, they can all be pervy and a little bit weird at times, and they’re awfully touchy-feely with you. But you're fine with that. You can handle yourself.

You all go to school together, and you've just finished your first year of college and are in your extended summer holidays, with your second year on the very distant, very far horizon. You haven't seen the boys in a few weeks, and you've missed them terribly, so this is quite a nice surprise for you.

Still, you blink at Giles, not quite awake enough to work out the reason behind him being in your room yet. You glance at the clock, and almost instantly you get the urge to throttle him, despite being happy to see him.

It's ten past eight in the morning.

Ten. Past. Fricking. Eight.

On a Saturday. 

“Giles," You near growl, glaring at him as intensely as you can. "Why did you wake me up at eight o'clock?"

He simply chuckles in response, answering gently, "Because, dear ___, we are taking you out today."

Once again, you struggle to comprehend his words, your glare disappearing. "What?" You ask, a slight frown working its way onto your face. "What do you mean?"

Your wrist still in his, he lets out a light laugh, his fingers sliding up to yours before holding them the way royalty would have theirs handled. Although somewhat used to the contact, your heartbeat falters slightly as he raises it to his lips. He brushes them over the skin ever so tenderly, strands of his hair dancing across your knuckles. He then proceeds to take your chin in his grasp, leaning in close.

"We're going to take you out, but the nature of the trip is a secret. I, unfortunately, cannot elaborate any more than that."

His voice is a low purr, his breath wafting over your cheek and making you shiver slightly. He notices this, his calm hues gaining an impish twinkle. You go to reject the idea on the grounds of secrecy when he suddenly moves his hand from your chin to your side, his palm and long fingers warm even through your shirt. Your breath catches in your throat, feeling him tighten his grip on you.

You let out a choked cry, feeling him lift you up and shift you back into bed. He stares down at you as you fall onto the mattress, breathing slightly quickened.

"G-Giles?" You squeak out, surprised. He grins softly, humming out,

"Are you cold, ___? Shall I warm you up?"

Without warning, he pulls the covers up to your waist before draping his body over yours, his torso touching your own ever so slightly. One of his hands envelops your left one. The other rests on the pillow, his forearm next to your head. You turn your face to the side, blushing at the closeness, although secretly enjoying it, your nerves tingling at his gentle touch.

Diverting your eyes, you can’t keep your voice completely calm, exclaiming, "Giles, what are you doing?" A low chuckle rumbles out from him at that, and he replies as if it's the most casual conversation he's ever had.

"I'm making sure you're not cold, as I just said. It would be rather upsetting if you were to become ill. Is there a problem?" Your blush worsens, and you mumble out,

"No. You're just really close."

He pauses for a moment, stilling above you, before speaking softly. "Am I, now?" He moves his hand, on the pillow, to lean on his elbow. He then lowers his head to brush his lips over your cheek, his hand now reaching up to caress your hair with amazing gentleness and care. "Believe me when I say, Princess, that this is nowhere near as close as I could be."

Before you can get your weak response out, you hear footsteps approach your bedroom quickly, almost like the owner of them is running. Giles lets out a soft sigh before releasing you from his grip, sitting up with his arms crossed. You push yourself up onto your elbows, about to ask who else is here.

But before you can, the door opens. You hear one thing, in a very familiar, very boyish voice.

"Nico Nico nii!"

And then 5"9 of muscle has pounced on you, knocking you down and forcing the air out of your lungs. You end up flat on your back, a face nuzzling into your neck while arms hug your waist tightly.

"Good morning, Princess!" Nico Meier's voice chirps into your skin. You groan, feeling your lungs concave within your ribcage, then lift a hand to pat his fluffy hair. You wince.

"Yeah, hi. You're hurting me." He immediately jumps off with a sheepish grin, sitting cross-legged on the bed. You straighten up again, raising your eyes to look at him, catching your breath.

He wears a red plaid shirt, buttoned up, with dark jeans and black converse. His rose-hue hair is both smooth and bouncy at the same time, with one rebellious curl sticking up in the middle. A gold, three-piece triangular earring dangles from his left ear, and his eyes are a molten amber, watching you happily.

Ah, I forgot to mention something; you all live in a city called Wysteria, except for three of your friends who live in the next city; Stein. Nico switches between regularly, sometimes staying over there, and sometimes coming over to Wysteria to live in one of the apartments that are given to students for attending the school or college. The other two come over to attend college, and then go back to Stein during the holidays.

The aforementioned city is about two hours away, with there being a large portion of highland and several towns between them, and so it's rare to see them both outside of college. They make the effort because Wysteria has the highest-ranking, best-funded and most respected high-school-college-university site in the whole country.

This is along with the fact that apparently Stein can be a slightly unpleasant place to live at times.

I should also mention that all your friends have a thing where they call you "Princess", "Your Highness" or "Your Majesty", or something along those lines. Their reasons unknown to you, they treat you like a real monarch, having the utmost respect for you and doing everything they can to make you happy.

You don't know why they're like this, and you learned after a while to just accept and enjoy it. It's not exactly unpleasant, to be fair.

"Nico," Back to the present, Giles starts, his tone unamused, "If I recall correctly, I told you to wait downstairs with the others for ___ to come down."

Nico just laughs at that, responding, "But I wanted to see her when she'd just woken up! She looks so cute of a morning!"

Your cheeks instantly heat up at that, and you bury your face in the covers, hearing Giles scold, "Now, look what you've done. You've made her shy away from us."

About ready to explode from the blood rushing to your cheeks, you pull the cover over your head. Nico giggles, the sound creating a strange little fluttering in your chest. You hear Giles go to speak, but then more footsteps thunder up the stairs, purposeful and consistent and very serious-sounding.

"What the hell are you two doing? I thought you said you were getting her ready." The voice of a certain crimson-eyed and crimson-haired man sounds from the door, and you blink, realising that at least three of your friends are in your house.

Your mum is also downstairs. She must have let them in.

_Fuck. I could kill that woman for not waking me up._

Just as Giles goes to respond, his deep inhale signalling this, Alyn Crawford tuts and approaches the bed. You raise your head out of the covers just as his frighteningly strong arms coil around your waist, quite literally picking you up and dragging you out of your bed. You let out a panicked shriek when he spins you around to be facing him, then throws you over his shoulder, your stomach pressed against his muscles.

He simply ignores this and holds your legs as he turns around, walking out of the room. Your hands grip his shirt, trying to use his back for balance. "Alyn!" You near enough scream. "What are you doing? Put me down!"

He scoffs, heading towards the bathroom. "I'm speeding up the process of getting you ready. They were taking too long." Before you can respond, he has entered the bathroom and deposits you on the floor, catching your arm when the world spins and you almost fall. "Get a shower and get dressed. You have an hour, starting now. Go."

Upon inspecting him, you see that he's wearing a plain black t-shirt, which hugs his figure and shows off his muscle mass. Dark grey jeans encase his long legs, leading down to his black combat boots. He has a gold earring on each ear, in the upper cartilage, which are solid and go down to his lower ears.

Without another word, he then swivels around and leaves, shutting the door behind him. You stare at it for a moment, completely and utterly baffled. After a moment, you decide against protesting and sigh, turning the shower on. You proceed to have a shower and a shave, cursing in pain when you cut your legs a few times. You watch your time, monitoring it in your head, and finish with about forty minutes left.

You wrap a towel around yourself and leave the bathroom, shaking your head at the fact that you're able to walk around your house near naked while it's full of boys. You are halfway down the corridor when Alyn's big brother comes out of your room at the end. He smirks, watching you approach.

Leo Crawford is wearing a white shirt with the words "Hot damn" written on it, a black jacket over that, and black skinny jeans. High-top black and white vans cover his feet, and several gold chains and bangles adorn his wrists and neck, along with a few more piercings in his right ear.

His smirk widens, scarlet eyes glinting in the light. You pause, shifting your towel to be higher up your chest, and blink. "Hey, Princess. You look nice, all blushing and wet like that."

"Leo!" You snap, skin turning pink. Your heart pumps faster, your body heating up at the suggestive words. "Stop it!"

He just grins lazily, sauntering over to you with one hand in his pocket. He gazes down at you as he halts maybe an inch away, and you resist the urge to back up at the proximity, some very strange thoughts surfacing in your mind. He brings his hand up to your shoulder, the pads of his fingers grazing over the soft flesh. He brushes the droplets away, and your skin tingles, a shiver rolling up your spine at the sensation.

"What's the matter?" He asks, his fingers trailing up your neck and to your hair. He smirks again taking a lock between his fingertips and leaning in close to whisper, "Are you cold?"

"No." You huff out, looking away. He just grins, his gaze softening. He brings your hair up to his face and breathes in deeply.

"Hm..." He hums, thinking for a moment, before murmuring hopefully, "Vanilla?" You nod, knowing that he's referring to the shampoo you used. He laughs lightly. "You smell gorgeous. Now, let's go and get you dressed, shall we?"

He slides behind you without giving you time to react, then pushes you forward, into your room. "I'll be outside, unless you want me to hel-" You shut the door in his face before he can finish, locking it and hearing his dark chuckle afterwards.

You spend about ten minutes getting dressed into your favourite outfit, putting your hair in your towel and tidying your room a little. You leave your lower legs and knees exposed while you look around for a tissue to wipe the blood away with, but you find none and huff, opening the door.

Leo is stood there, leaning against the wall opposite your door. A slow smile spreads across his face, his eyes rake over your form. "You look beautiful. Seriously."

Your heartbeat falters again, a knot forming in your stomach. You avert your gaze, getting out a slightly flustered, "Thank you." You then go to the bathroom, retrieving some toilet roll and three plasters before returning to your room. Leo follows in, watching you sit on the bed and stretch your legs out in front of you, taking the towel off your head.

You then dab up the blood, frowning slightly at the cuts as you do, and Leo perches on the bed beside your legs. "Hey, don't you know that saliva's the best thing for cuts?" He asks. You pause before nodding, recalling the fact to be true.

Feeling somewhat odd doing this right in front of him, but also determined not to let him get to you, you quickly lick the tip of your finger, intending to spread the saliva on the cuts. However, he catches your wrist as you lower it to your leg, asking, "I suggested doing it, didn't I? Allow me."

**_*_ **

Your breathing stops completely and your muscles go into lockdown, thoughts whirling. He leans down, placing his hands on the calf of your left leg.

He glances up at you mischievously before placing his lips over the first cut, sending jolts and sparks through your body. You fail to suppress a gasp, feeling his tongue slither out, dancing across the sensitive skin before tracing over the injury. It hurts slightly, but it's also very pleasant, especially as he briefly sucks on the cut. It's weirdly relaxing, the pressure against the damaged skin, warm and moist, and the saliva taking the sting from it after a few moments.

He moves onto the next one, slightly longer but no deeper than the last, chuckling at your expression. Your right hand clenches around the cover when he does the same again, flicking his tongue across the site as smoothly and intricately as a snake manoeuvring through sand. He sucks a little bit harder this time, and your free hand flies down to grip his arm as the area throbs, with both pain and pleasure.

He turns his hand upwards, shifting yours to be held in his. His fingers lace through yours. He then lets go of your leg and places it down onto the bed, proceeding to hold your right just like before. However, this time, he positions your foot to rest on his thigh, so that your knee is bent up and you are leant back slightly. This cut is the deepest, and a thin trail of blood has dripped down your shin, tainting the skin crimson.

Leo tuts, eyes glinting as they watch you. "You need to be more careful, Princess. You could have done serious damage." He smirks and lowers his head once more, murmuring against your leg, "Maybe I should stay with you in the shower, to make sure you don't do it again."

You go to reject that idea, but stop in shock and surprise when he drags the tip of his tongue up your leg. The blood pools into his mouth as it travels upwards. Slightly disturbed by this, and fiercely ignoring the part of your brain that enjoys the sensation, you try to pull back and away from him.

And yet, at the same time, you hold his hand tighter. "L-Leo! What are you-"

He squeezes your hand back, then simply grips your leg tighter as he reaches the cut itself, groaning quietly. You stare at him, pupils wide, as he releases your hand and places his on the side of your calf. He arches his back over your limb, curling his body over your leg to move closer. Your heart thuds in your chest, gaze focused on him. You watch him shudder, seemingly in pleasure. His eyelids flutter closed.  
And then he closes his mouth, the blood now collected, and swallows the liquid with a content hum.

Your body trembles at the feeling of him sucking harder, but he wastes no time in continuing. He immediately gives the same attention to the damaged skin, getting rid of the blood around the broken tissue and lapping at it for twenty seconds or so. With a gentler suck and a playful lick, he removes his now slightly bloody lips, then reaches over to take one of the plasters. 

"Was that really necessary? That was weird, and slightly disturbing." You mutter, crossing your arms. You try to hide your face as it burns with your blush, and with the excitement coursing through your body. You notice that his breathing is slightly hitched and there is a tint of pinks in his cheeks, but he doesn’t seem to either notice or be bothered by it.

"Well, it was more efficient than you using your finger, and it was funny to see your reaction to it. I think we're close enough to do stuff like this, don't you think?" He laughs gently, pointing to the larger cut.  "Besides, I'd say it worked."

 ** _*_**  
You look down, seeing that the cuts have clotted and stopped bleeding. Taken aback by how quickly it worked, your mouth opens in surprise. "Oh..." Is all you can get out at first, followed by a soft, "I can't believe it worked so fast."

He nods as he carefully places the plasters on the injuries, winking at you before chirping, "You'd be surprised at how much people's bodies can help each other." You look away at that, seeing the double meaning behind his words. "And, drinking blood is supposed to be good for you. Lots of nutrients and vitamins."

Your eyes returning to him, and he narrows his own. He grins at you, licking his lips, before he laughs out, "Tasty. I guess I'm Dracula now." You can't help but laugh back at that. You fix your clothes, and then he holds his hand out, pulling you to your feet when you take it. "Come on, let's get you some breakfast. Your mother's making hash browns."

He tugs you out of your room and down the hallway, and you let out a content sigh, smelling the food. He chuckles at this, then stops upon reaching the ground, turning around and kneeling. His mouth splits into a breath-taking grin. "Shall I carry you to the kitchen, My Lady?"

You burst into giggles, nodding as you reply, "If you would like to, Milord!

He wastes no time in standing and picking you up, handling your weight easily. He carries you in a cradle, his slightly thin but still strong arms supporting your back and legs. "I would love to, Princess."

He walks into the kitchen, and you swing your legs, seeing your mother preparing the hash browns whilst a certain blond sets plates out on the island.

Louis, like Giles, is wearing a shirt with a vest over it, but his is a deep wine-red shade. You can see his long, blue coat, a strange washed out colour, draped over the back of a chair. He is wearing black jeans with a belt, the buckle gold, and black knee-length boots with a strap over the arch. His pure blond hair shines in and reflects the light, complimenting his cerulean orbs and pale pallor. A single mole sits on his left cheekbone, and a gold loop earring hangs from his left earlobe.

Your mum grins amusedly when you come in, greeting you, "Good morning! Did you have a nice wake-up call?"

You glare at her playfully as Leo sits you on one of the stools. "Brilliant. Boys everywhere." You turn to Louis, your gaze softening completely at the gentle set of his face. "Hello, Louis. How are you?"

He lets a small smile grace his lips, nodding as he comes over. "I'm fine, thank you. And yourself?"

You beam at him. He reaches you, and you hold your arms out in the hopes of getting a hug. "I'm good."

He nods as he leans down slightly, taking you into his arms with a dusting of pink in his cheeks. You give him a squeeze, sighing at the familiar feeling of him holding you like a doll. His arms are ever so gentle but still strong as they wrap around your lower back, gingerly tugging you against him. You stay like that for a moment before pulling away, and he quickly goes back to finishing putting the cutlery out, face still slightly flushed.

You giggle quietly at this, then thank your mum and give her a hug when she puts some hash browns on your plate. She just chuckles, returning the hug before winking at you and kissing your forehead. You laugh with her, then hop off your stool and wait for Leo and Louis to get their food. When they do, you go into the living room with them following behind.

Inside the living room, Giles is sat on the couch at one end, Alyn on the other side, with Nico in the middle of the two. The latter is poking Giles and playing with his hair, smiling innocently, and the taller male is staring at him disapprovingly.

"Guys," You draw their attention, feeling slightly sorry for Giles. "There's food in the kitchen; feel free to go and get some if you want."

Nico jumps up almost immediately, bounding toward the kitchen with incredible speed. Alyn stands up and wanders after his small friend, whilst Giles remains seated. With the intent of preventing Nico from annoying him anymore, you plop down next to him, giving him a smile. He does the same, his gaze very gentle.

"Don't you want any hash browns?" You ask, breaking a piece off and popping it into your mouth.

He shakes his head, lips still turned up. "I'm alright - I ate prior to coming here. However," He pauses, pinching a piece of the hash brown and grinning roguishly. He then eats it, chewing slowly and humming. You gape at him. "That's not to say that they aren't delicious. Your mother is an excellent cook."

"True." You agree. You then frown a bit, a thought occurring to you. "So you can't tell me anything about where we're going?"

"No, I can't say a thing about it. It will be worth it, though, Princess. I can assure you of that." His answer is slightly comforting, and knowing that he probably genuinely isn't allowed to tell you more, you decide to give up for now.

So, you rest your head on his shoulder, feeling him put his arm around you and hold you close. Nudging your cheek against his shoulder, you nibble on your hash browns. Even as Nico and Alyn return with theirs, you remain in your position, your thigh pressed against his with his fingers absently rubbing your side. After a few minutes, you lift up a piece of a hash brown, offering it to him. He smiles and leans down, opening his mouth, and you place it on his tongue. He eats it slowly, then licks his lips and nods with a thank you.

You spend several minutes like this, feeding him periodically while you eat the rest yourself, snuggling into his warm body as you do. You've dressed sensibly, and in clothes which should keep your temperature high, but you tend to get cold quite a bit. That's the good thing about having friends who don't mind cuddling you.

Maybe ten minutes later, Giles gets up, regretfully telling you, "I must take care of something with Leo. Would you mind staying here for the moment?"

You watch him for a moment, confused and suspicious about his reasons for keeping you there and doing something with Leo, before shaking your head. "No," You answer, deciding to trust him. "I don't mind."

He gives you a heart-breaking smile before heading upstairs, with Leo sauntering up after him. You raise your eyebrows at this, then shake your head, pushing back your confusion. Nico takes the opportunity to sit on the couch with you, since it was full earlier, and bounces down next to you.

"Don't worry!" He chirps, taking your face in his hands and resting his forehead against yours with a boyish grin. "It'll all make sense soon. It's a secret!"

You can't resist his adorable ways and nod, smiling back at him. "Okay."

You turn around after saying this and lie with your body in his lap, letting him play with your hair as compensation for stealing Giles away. It's soothing and relaxing, feeling his fingers sift through the strands, which are still damp but not too much now. He eventually trails his fingers up your neck and face, which tickles and makes you squirm and giggle. He grins mischievously.

Loving your reaction to his touch, he starts to tickle you properly, sending his fingers down your sides, back and stomach. You scream with laughter and wriggle away from him, trying to roll onto the floor, but he catches you by your waist and keeps you there. Your body jerks around wildly, reaching the point of hysterics. Tears of laughter form in your eyes and your lungs burn from the long bout of laughing.

Louis is watching, you see, and is smiling slightly as he does. You reach out to him, gasping out, "L-Louis! Help! I can't brea- aah!"

You are cut off by your own scream as Nico brings his face down into the skin of your neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin. He chuckles as you arch your back and try to get away.

But then, you are tugged out of his arms, and he falls face-first onto the ground, reaching out to stop you.

He misses, though, and you are swept into Louis' grip, one of his hands holding yours and the other wrapped around your waist. His chest is against your back, warm and solid. "Are you alright?"

Flustered and surprised by his close proximity, all you can get out with your low air supply is, "Yeah. Thank you."

He smiles behind you, then gently turns you around to be facing him, shifting you close and pressing his hand against the small of your back. You blink at the contact, which makes him chuckle quietly, before he raises the hand he is holding. You quickly realise that he has moved you into the correct position for a waltz. "Do you remember everything from my lessons?"

Although slightly taken aback by the sudden question, you wrack your brains for the rules and postures he taught you over the school year for the waltz. You’d learned it prior to that, but you weren’t very good and struggled with such a strict dance, so he helped you to improve and become better. You remember his lessons, finding them mostly intact. "I think so."

He nods, releasing your waist to move back slightly. Then, in a swift, well-practised liquid motion, he leans over in a bow. He raises your hand to his mouth, his soft hair tickling your skin. The pale strands graze your fingers like feathers. "I think we should dance together again soon, to make sure you remember everything I taught you."

Elated to have the opportunity to dance with him again, you nod enthusiastically, hair bouncing with the movement. "I'd love to!"

You go to continue, but your attention is drawn away by Leo's voice, calling downstairs as if he's using a microphone. "Alyn! Come up here and help me for a minute!"

You expect Alyn to scowl, reject the request or spew profanities at his big brother, as is predictable of his nature. So, you are shocked to the core when he simply stands and makes his way upstairs without a single word.

However, you are pulled out of your stunned silence when a hand takes your own, giving it a light squeeze. "___?" You glance to the side to see Nico stood there, smiling at you. You raise your eyebrows. "Let's go dry your hair - I think we're leaving soon."

You smile and nod at this, squeezing his hand back tentatively. He beams and then tugs you out of the room, into the kitchen. He guides you over to one of the stools, in front of the full-body mirror, and sits you down before retrieving the hairdryer and brush. Before he can start drying your hair, though, you turn around and catch his wrist.

"Nico, I can dry my hair myself. It's okay." Seeing his confused expression, your own face softens, and you give him a smile. "You're always doing everything for me, and by that, I mean near enough every single thing. I want to do some things myself, since you all hide any opportunities for me to give it back."

His pupils widen slightly at this, and for a moment he just stares at you. Then, he lets out a gentle laugh, responding, "___, we hide the opportunities because we don't want anything back; we're just happy to see you happy. We want you to be relaxed and comfortable, and when we see that happen, it makes everything we do so worthwhile. You don't need to give anything back to us, Princess."

You stare at him for a moment, heart twisting at his words. Do they really care about you that much? Do they all genuinely want your happiness at any cost, no matter what it is?

"Why?" It's the first thing that comes to you. "Why me? Why do you all care so much for me? Don't get me wrong, I love you all to pieces as well, but there are other people who deserve you all far more, and you shouldn’t be doing so much for me."

His lips part in shock at your words, and then he frowns, putting the hairdryer and brush down before coming to stand in front of the stool. He takes your hands in his, holding them tightly and staring at you with an intense gaze. "___, we care about you to the extent that we do because you genuinely care about us. You made the effort to help each of us individually, and you pulled us out of the dark when we couldn't do it ourselves."

You go to dispute that, but he releases one of your hands to place his thumb on your lips, stopping you from talking. "You helped Leo and Alyn through losing their parents, and Leo with sleeping properly. You made me and Al get along a better, and were the first to forgive me when all of the stuff within the group went on. You're always there for Giles when his illness hits, and you made Louis come out of his shell and be nicer to us.

"It's the same with Byron, and Al a little bit; they've both become nicer since you brought us together, even though Al tries to act the same to hold up his appearance. Robert's just happy that you're always consciously including him in things, and it means the world to him when you ask to see his art or paint with him!

"As for Sid, he loves having you around because he feels like people avoid him a lot. With the way he is, he’s struggled to keep friends, and knowing that you'll always be there for him has made him more trusting of people. Plus, he likes having someone around who'll have fun with him and be close to him. He's never had that before."

It takes you a moment to process this, and you lower your stare to the floor while you speak, Nico's thumb brushing across your cheek. "But I wasn't the only person doing those things. There were other people who helped as well." Your voice is a weak whisper, barely audible to you both.

He lets go of your other hand, moving his own up to cup your cheek and rest your forehead against his. You look up, his face so close to yours that everything else is blurred out, and find yourself lost in the deep amber of his irises. You feel relaxed as his breath wafts over your skin, warm and soft, and he runs the pads of his thumbs over your cheekbones.

"But you were there all the time. Any time we've needed you, you've been there. You stayed with Leo at night to help him sleep, and you were there for me when I got upset sometimes in school. You're always there if we need you, for anything, and we all know that we can go to you if we need help. That's why we want to make you just as happy as you've made us."

You don't have anything to say to that, and you simply nod. His eyes soften and he puts his arms around you, tugging you up to be stood on the footrest of the stool. He embraces you gently, pulling your torso against his. You wrap your arms around his neck tightly, and you feel him press his face into your neck, his hair tickling the skin there. "Thank you, ___."

You run your fingers through his hair, whispering back, "Thank you, Nico."

As your fingers comb through the rose locks, a soft purring sound comes out of him, which makes you smile; he's just like a cat. After a few minutes, you poke the back of his head, sighing out, "I need to dry my hair. Come on."

He makes a displeased sound in the back of his throat, tightening his grip on you. You feel your heart rate pick up as his chest presses against your own harder; although he’s not as muscular as the likes of Alyn, Byron and Sid, he’s definitely got definition and strength, and you can feel it touching you through his clothes. His hands slide around, one resting on your middle and the other on the small of your back, fingers touching the bones lightly.

"Nico," You keep going, making your voice sterner. He tenses around you. "Giles will probably kill us if we're late. Come on."

He heaves out a breath, snuggling his face into your throat for a moment. He then lets go and pulls back, pouting and frowning slightly. You let out a soft laugh and take his face in your hands, kissing his forehead gently.

You then grab the hairdryer and start to dry your hair, brushing through at the same time. Nico helps as much as he can, i.e. as much as you let him, by separating the sections and assisting with the back part.

When you finish drying your hair and it's fixed in your preferred style, you smile and sit back, dropping your head back and onto Nico's chest. He leans down to rub his nose against yours, and you giggle before standing up. It's then that you hear the front door open, and you tilt your head curiously, moving towards the hallway.

However, Nico suddenly grabs your waist and drags you back, away from the door. Before you can ask him what he's doing, he starts to tickle your ribs and stomach, making you scream and laugh. He spins both of you around to face the other way, so that you can’t see the door.

"N-Nico! What are you doing? S-Stop it! Aah!" He just laughs at that, craning his head around to nibble on your neck. Your body tingles at the feeling of him being so close, and you are lost in a fit of giggles when his tongue darts out to lick at the skin. You try to ignore the fact that, in the process of bending over to try and escape him, your hips are pressed together, and he is practically folded over you. "Nico!"

This goes on for a few seconds, and then footsteps sound at the door. You look up, breathless and flushed. Nico pauses in tickling you and turns back. Giles is stood there, arms crossed as usual, and he smiles amusedly at your dishevelled form. "Someone is here to see you, Princess."

You stare at him for a moment, wondering who it could be. You glance back at Nico, seeing a huge, beaming grin on his face. As he lets you go, you hear the low reverberation of a familiar voice from the hallway, rough and confident and sarcastic all at once.

Before you can even think, you have sprinted away from Nico and bolted around Giles at the door, swinging yourself into the hallway.

Stood there in all his glory is Sid, real name Lloyd Grandier. With long, ink-blue hair tied back into a ponytail and deep indigo eyes, he stands as the tallest of your friends, at a towering 6"2. He wears a dark grey shirt with a long, midnight blue coat over that, fastened with a sliver chain in the middle. Black jeans accompany this, with more chains hanging from the waistline, and lead to the combat boots that go to his upper ankle. They're same colour apart from the midnight blue laces that tie them up.

He has two silver earrings on each ear, one big and one small, and a segmented silver bracelet is crossed over on his wrist. This matches the silver ring on his index finger and the necklace dangling from his throat, as well as his two belts, which have buckles of the same material.

Upon seeing him, your heart leaps in your chest. A beautiful smile stretches across your face, lighting it up like the sun. "Sid!"

He smirks upon seeing you, watching you dart towards him. "Heya, Princess."

He laughs and opens his arms when you near him, then catches you as you practically pounce on him. He shifts you up to have your legs locked around his waist, your arms coiling around his neck, leaving you clinging to him. His hands rest on your thigh and back, and he speaks into your shoulder, his voice husky. "This is certainly a warm welcome. Did you miss me or what?"

You pull back to whack the back of his head, responding, "Divvy. Of course I missed you."

He ignores the hit and his smirk widens, moving the hand on your back to your other thigh. "Yeah, I know." You flick him on the forehead, face quickly turning pink, and bury your face in his shoulder. He snickers, mumbling into your hair, "I missed you too, Princess. It's been boring without my ___ around."

You hold onto him tighter, breathing in his strong, musky scent. He rests his face in the crook of your neck for a moment, and when you have hugged him for long enough, you slowly pull back to watch him. "Are you coming with us? Do you know where we're going?"

He smirks again, staring at you while keeping hold of your thighs. He doesn't even feel remotely tired by supporting your weight. "I'm coming with you, and I do know where we're going." His eyes suddenly gain an impish glint, and he leans in close. "But that kind of information doesn't come cheap. What will you give me as payme-"

"Sid." Giles' voice cuts him off from the side, warning and serious. Sid’s expression becomes irritated as he turns slightly, allowing him to look at the aforementioned man. "I'd like you to remember the agreement we came to with regards to today."

Sid twists his lips slightly, then lets out a grunt, absently moving you up to be more securely held against him. He shrugs. "Fine, whatever." He turns back to you, smirking again. "Sorry, love. I wish I could tell you, but I can't.

You just smile in return, shaking your head. "It's okay."

"___," Giles draws your attention back to him, and you look over as he speaks again. "If you're ready, we will be departing shortly. Perhaps you should say goodbye to your mother."

Sid lets you down when you kick your legs, and you frown slightly. "I'm only going out for the day, but alright."

You make your way into the living room, finding your mum idly tidying and organising the unit in the corner. "We're going now." You announce, smiling when she jumps slightly, apparently having not heard you come in. She turns around, beaming. "See you later."

You go over and give her a hug, and she gives you a tight, strong squeeze, kissing your head. "Stay safe out there," She pecks your forehead as she pulls back, holding your face in her hands. "Take care of those boys, ___; they need you, you know."

She winks, making you roll your eyes. Still, you grin anyway. "I know. Don't worry - mama ___ will keep them out of trouble. They're not getting hurt on my watch." You give her a last bear hug before disengaging, backing up and saying, "See you later!"

"See you, sweetie! Call me when you can!" You swivel around and out of the doorway, seeing the boys stood there, waiting for you. Sid is leaning against the staircase, Nico is stood next to the doorframe, and Louis is in front of the door to outside. Leo and Alyn are on either side of the door to the study.

Sid smirks at your approach, and Nico beams at you. He holds your bag out for you, which has your phone, iPod and tablet in it. Your grin widens as you take it, slinging it over your torso before looking to Giles. "Are we ready?"

He nods, arms crossed. His gaze is almost adoring, and he sends you a soft smile. "Yes. If you're ready, we can depart."

You nod, and Louis opens the door before slipping out. Leo and Alyn follow, the former sending you a wink on the way. You shake your head, seeing Giles roll his eyes playfully before motioning for you to go. You make your way to the door, Nico in front of you and Sid close behind.

However, as soon as you step out onto the porch, Nico spins around and places his hands over your eyes. You freeze, opening your mouth to protest, but then scream as strong arms sweep you off your feet and against a solid chest. You smell Sid's familiar, sharp scent envelop you, your fingers clinging onto his coat, then hear Nico laugh out,

"Sorry, ___! We can't let you see the car!" You frown, letting his hands stay there while Sid chuckles darkly and carries you to the car. He handles your weight with ease, and your heart beats a little faster when you feel his hand rest on your side, his arms strong and warm around you.

"You're lucky I love you all. I would've killed anyone else for doing that." You grumble out, earning a loud laugh from Sid and a giggle from Nico. You find yourself smiling, though, when Sid leans down, and then you are placed onto a seat, presumably in the car. As Nico's hands slide away to allow you to be sat down, someone else quickly slips in next to you, their own hands covering your eyes once more.

The scent of flowers quickly overtakes your senses, and you turn your head slightly to the left. "Louis?"

"Yes?" His response is uttered softly, and you hear another person sit on your right afterwards, the doors on either side closing. The front doors follow and then Louis removes his hands, letting you see once more.

You look around you, seeing that you are in the middle row of a seven-seater car, with Louis on your left and Nico on your right. Sid is in the driver's seat, with Giles in the passenger one. Glancing behind you, Leo is in the seat to your left behind you, with Alyn in the rear right. The back windows are tinted, making the rear part of the car darker than the rest, and the material seats are comfortable as you relax into them. You blink, confused; this feels exactly like Sid's car, a Toyota Prius Plus, but it looks and is different, somehow. You can't place what's off about it.

"What was with the partial kidnapping?" You ask, glancing at Louis. A hint of a smile passes over his lips.

"You'll see later. For now, we have a rather long journey to our destination." You frown at this, fastening your seatbelt as the others do.

"Our destination being?" You press, wanting to know. Nico laughs from your other side.

"We can't tell you, ___! It's a surprise!" You groan and drop your head back, raising and lowering your hands in defeat. "It'll be worth it, I promise."

You frown again and stare at the ceiling. You feel the car purr into movement, pulling out of the drive before starting down the road in a smooth roll. However, the frown fades after a moment, and Nico chuckles, watching a pout forms on your lips. You look up, however, when Leo leans forwards and puts his face next to yours, on the back of the chair.

"Seriously, you're going to love us when you find out. It'll make it all the better." He smirks suddenly, moving in close and murmuring, "But you're also rather adorable right now, all pouting and confused."

Just as you go to whack him on the head, you see a hand shoot out and grip the back of his shirt, then yank him back as he lets out a pained choke. "Stop being a creep, Leo." Alyn's low voice mutters from the other side, and you turn around to see Leo holding his throat, seeming having been thrown against the seat. Alyn is scowling at his brother, arms now crossed.

_Aw. He's so cute._

You reach over to ruffle his hair, watching him jump away, eyes wide. "What the hell? What was that for?"

You give him a sweet smile, replying, "You looked adorable!"

He scoffs, turning his head and mumbling, "I am not cute.'

You laugh at that, turning back around and moving your gaze to Louis. "It seems that you and Alyn have something in common."

He arches an eyebrow, asking sceptically, "And what would that be?"

You smirk and poke his nose, stating amusedly, "You're both wrongly adamant that you're not cute when you're completely adorable."

He frowns slightly, watching you with a disapproving expression. You see his cheeks turn just a tad red.

From the back, Alyn scowls, baring his teeth. "I am not cute! Stop saying that!" However, as you turn around to watch him, he crosses his arms and sits back, and you see a dusting of pink on his cheeks. You smirk and turn to face forward again, high-fiving Nico. Another peal of giggles escape him.

"You're adorable, Alyn. Deal with it." Your words are met with a growl that you have to stifle a laugh at, and Leo snickers behind you.

"I think you're in denial, little bro." You can practically feel the anger mounting in the back from Alyn.

"Can you just shut up? You're being an idiot. Again." This time you have to snicker, hearing Leo mock an offended gasp.

"Me, an idiot? Why're you being so mean, Alyn? What have I done to you?" This is followed by a scoff, and a mumble of,

"You're annoying the hell out of me. Now shut up."

And so it begins.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, damn it."

"Nah."

"Shut. Up."

"No thanks."

"I will end you."

"You can try. But I'll still be talking."

"I hate you."

"The first sign of love is hate, Alyn."

"Is it now? Is it really, jackass?"

Both you and Nico burst into hysterics, seeing Alyn leap across the back seats and try to attack Leo through the rear view mirror. Your laughter only escalates when Leo stops him, catching his wrists and leaning in close. 

"Aw, little brother wants a hug-"

"Don't touch me, asshole!"

"Enough." Giles' stern voice makes the two pause, and the only sound in the car for a moment is you and Nico laughing like hyenas, clinging onto each other for support. Giles ignores this, continuing on even when you send yourself into another fit of giggles, cackling away. "I would very much hate for my life to end with a brick wall because you two can't stop fighting. Please refrain from your childish bickering until we are off the road."

You glance behind you for a moment, vision blurred from tears. You lose it again, watching Leo fly into the rear body of the car, slamming against the window as Alyn kicks him against it. "Gladly. Now stop touching me, idiot."

Cue your premature death from lack of oxygen.

Your stomach is clenched tightly from laughing so hard, and you gasp for air as you giggle uncontrollably. Nico's laughter has died down at this point, but now it picks up again, and you both laugh again for at least the next minute before gaining control of yourselves.

"Whew." You breathe out shakily, wiping the tears from your eyes. You try and fail miserably to regulate your air intake. "That was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Sid snorts from the front, glancing away from the road to watch you in the mirror. "You okay there, Princess?"

You nod, letting out a soft, last giggle. "Uh-huh." You finish returning yourself to your normal state and sigh, sitting back. "So, what are we going to do to pass the time in here?"

**♡♔♡**

"Zombies."

"Death."

"Grim Reaper. That counts as a G."

"Misery."

"Alyn."

"Fuck off!"

"You can't say F, Alyn. That's your last life gone."

"I hate you all."

You grin smugly. Alyn looks out of the window, scowling habitually and huffing, slumping in his seat. You let out a soft laugh and lean against Louis, feeling tiredness creep up on you from the long game of word association. You can tell that he's smiling slightly when he puts his arm around your side, pulling you close. You rest your head in the crook of his neck, snuggling into him. You decide to try and rest.

You've been driving for maybe forty five minutes now, and you're at a loss as to where you're going. You've been playing games and talking with the boys, but going to sleep late and waking up early has taken its toll on you, and now you're feeling it.

A quiet chuckle rumbles out from Louis' chest as you close your eyes and curl up against him. His lips hover over your forehead, and he speaks in a low murmur, his warm breath dancing over your skin. "Tired, Princess?"

You just nod in response, inhaling his flowery smell and snuggling up against him. The soft rumble of the car's engine, the gentle vibrations through the frame and Louis' warmth quickly increase your drowsiness, and you bury your face in his shoulder, failing to stifle a yawn. You hear several laughs when you do, and you huff in response.

"We still have a significant distance to cover, Princess, so you can get some rest now." Giles' voice drifts into your ears and you nod at his words, more than happy to sleep. You glance up at Louis, briefly opening your eyes to ask in a slow, soft voice,

"Do you mind if I lean on you while I sleep? You're really comfy and warm." He shakes his head silently. Cuddling into him more, you give him a sleepy smile, ignoring the seatbelt digging into your neck. 

It's quiet for a while, apart from Alyn and Leo's usual fighting, and then you feel the temperature in the car start to drop. Covering your hands in Louis' coat, you suppress a shiver, and he holds you closer in response. However, he then feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns his head to see Leo leaning over the seats again, holding out what he realises is your coat to him. 

"Here, put it over her. I'll ask if we can put the heating on." Louis nods, briefly removing one hand from your side to take the coat. He then drapes it over you and tucks it in as much as he can, nodding in appreciation when Nico helps. "Hey, Sid. Can we put the heating on? It's getting cold."

Sid nods, briefly moving his eyes from the road to switch it on. He smirks, replying, "I guess you're not used to the cold over here. I don't even feel it unless it gets to below five. Sucks for you guys."

Leo gives him the finger, which makes Sid chuckle. The disgruntled Wysterian sits back, focusing his gaze on the scenery flashing by. 

Nico smiles at the exchange, then glances down at you. You're not shivering, which is good; the thought of you being uncomfortable almost makes him feel sick. "Louis," He murmurs, drawing the blond's attention. "Is she asleep?"

Hearing no immediate response from you at the question, Louis pauses, listening to your breathing and gently placing his fingers on your pulse point. Your breaths are even and regular, and your heartbeat has settled into a steady rhythm, which makes him smile. 

"I think so." He answers, glancing at the rose-haired boy. Nico nods, then glances at Giles. 

"Hey, can I have a nap too?" Giles raises his eyebrows amusedly. 

"Of course. You need not ask, Nico. You are free to do as you please." Nico lets out a light laugh at that, nodding and leaning back in his seat. He stretches out like a cat, yawning as he does.

"I know," He replies. "I'm just used to asking people if I can do things all the time. Whoops!"

Sid shakes his head, rolling his eyes playfully. "Geez, kid. It's your life; you can do what you want."

"Hey, don't call me kid! I'm not that much younger than you! You’ve got a year on us!" Nico pouts, making Leo and Giles laugh and Sid smirk, before he sighs with a defeated smile. "I'll try to remember that." His gaze returns to you once more, as it always does. He frowns again, commenting absently, "She thinks other people deserve us much more than she does. She feels like we do everything for her and she gives nothing back."

There is a beat of silence, and then several protests sound around the car. 

"What?" Alyn exclaims. "Doesn't she realise how much she does for us?"

"That's bullshit. If anything, it's the other way around; we probably don't deserve her and her unlimited patience." Leo's voice is uncharacteristically serious, eyes honed in on your sleeping face.

"Are you kidding me? Did she seriously say that?" Sid is scowling now, glancing at you every few seconds in the rear view mirror. Nico nods. "And she calls me an idiot."

Giles shakes his head, muttering, "She's too kind for her own good. She needs to learn to value and appreciate herself more."

Louis is the only one not to respond to this, but he is staring at you with a deep, concerned gaze, his eyebrows furrowed. He swallows thickly, pulling you into his side, before exhaling and taking your hand in his free one. He laces his fingers through yours, interlocking them, before bringing your hand up to his mouth and pressing soft kisses to the skin. He breathes in your scent, his heart twisting as he watches your peaceful expression. 

_You're everything to us, ___. You saved us. We owe you the world._

He almost crushes you against him, never wanting you to feel like you don't deserve them. He wouldn't want to leave, nor would any of them, for anything.

_We need you, Princess. More than anyone else._

**♡♔♡**


	2. Part II | Welcome to Stein.

**♡♔♡**

When you come around, you feel gentle pressure on your waist, followed by fingers squeezing your own. You inhale, eyes fluttering open, slowly adjusting to the light around you. It's not too bright, since you're still in the car, but it's enough to make you squint. You hear several chuckles when you do this and huff, starting to take in your surroundings.

The boys are watching you with varied expressions, mostly consisting of adoration or amusement. Sid is smirking, keeping his eyes on the road, but he glances at you in the mirror before sending you a wink. You shake your head, a smile creeping onto your face. You look outside.

You see land that you don't recognise, including a large amount of hills and what look like mountains in the distance. This immediately makes you jolt up and out of your slouched position against Louis, exclaiming,

"Hold on! Where are we? Don't tell me-" You cut yourself off as it clicks in your head; there are only hills on the outer edges of Wysteria, and the mountain range in the region is located on the fringes of Stein. They lie on the Stein-Wysteria border, near Protea. "Oh my fucking God! You're joking!"

Leo and Sid, along with Nico, burst into laughter at your swear, whilst Louis chuckles to your side. Giles' smile widens, and even Alyn has a smug little smirk on his face.

You start to practically vibrate in your seat, body filling with excitement. "Please tell me this isn't a joke. Seriously, tell me if it is."

"It's not, ___. We're about fifteen minutes away from entering Stein. We are currently near the border, and once we cross over, we will reach our location about twenty minutes after that." Giles answers your question, gaze gentle and smile now soft.

You stop bouncing at that, realisation setting in. You're going to Stein; you've only ever set foot outside of Wysteria once, and haven’t been to any of the nations in this region before, for a multitude of reasons. You've always wanted to go to the somewhat mysterious country of Stein. Now, you're going, and almost all of the people who make up the happiness in your life.

You never cry - you just don't get particularly emotional at things and are quite strong in that respect - but now you feel your eyes well up with tears at the intense joy swelling in you. You can feel starbursts of love and gratitude exploding within you, and you cover your mouth as you stare at the scenery for a moment, watching the unknown territory fly past the car.

"Are those happy tears?" Louis' voice sounds from your left, and you break out of your reverie to look at him. He is watching you, a content, sweet expression gracing his features. You immediately nod, blinking the tears away.

"Yeah... oh my God, I'm so happy... thank you." You turn around, looking at Giles and Sid. "Whose idea was this? Who organised it?"

Giles responds to your question once more, smiling widely again. "Well, Nico initially came up with the idea, and then we all helped with contributing to the planning of it. Everyone has been equally helpful with making it possible. We all wanted it as well, so we were determined to see it through."

You are instantly whipping around, practically tackling Nico as he grins at you. He hugs you back tightly when you put your arms around his neck, pressing his face into your shoulder. "Thank you."

He just chuckles again as he rocks you back and forth, pulling you to be sort of draped across his body while he revels in the warmth of your throat. Finally, he lets out a last laugh, then takes your hands and presses his forehead against yours with an adoring smile. You smile back widely, a few tears escaping and running down your cheeks, and he giggles before quickly licking one away.

You jump back at this, laughing again. You then turn back to Alyn, holding your arms out. "I want to thank you as well. Come here!"

He scowls and sits back, crossing his arms and turning his face to the side. A light blush rises in his cheeks. "What are you talking about? You don't need to thank me. It's fine."

You send Leo a pleading look, to which he smiles and winks. He moves his gaze to Alyn, who glances back with a distrustful look. Leo only smiles wider, then suddenly jabs his arm out, poking Alyn in the ribs in a motion that lasts mere fractions of a second. The latter jumps and pushes away with a yelp, allowing you to reach out and pull him into your arms in a bear hug.

"What are you doing? Hey, let me go-" He starts to spitfire insults and threats at you, feeling you squish his face against the skin under your neck. You press your cheek into his hair, singing,

"Nope! Not until you hug me back!" He is blushing furiously now. His arms, having been flailing about uselessly up until this point, now reach forward to hesitantly go around your back and waist. He hugs you gently, letting out a disgruntled huff. You find yourself beaming as your fingers slide through his hair, and a little laugh escapes you when he hides his face in the crook of your neck, his eyelashes tickling your throat.

You let him go after a moment, and he retreats to the back of the car, his face burning. You shake your head before grinning at Leo, making a grabbing motion at him.

He smirks and leans forward, then meets you halfway as you bend over the seat to wrap your arms around his neck. His arms snake around your middle, and he rests his mouth against your collarbone, lips smooth and warm to the touch. You stay there for a few seconds, rocking from side to side and giggling when he nibbles on your skin playfully.

When you detach yourself from him, you sit down and practically glomp Louis. He gives a small, content, and yet sunning smile. You wrap your arms around his middle, laying your head on his shoulder as he returns the embrace. He places his hands on the back of your head and your side, kissing your forehead gently before he hugs you back tightly. You breathe in his light, flowery scent, playing with his silky hair. He cradles you against him and rubs his cheek against yours for a moment, eyelids fluttering closed briefly.

You then pull back, beaming at him, before leaning forward and bending around Giles' chair. You loop your arms around his neck and nuzzle your face into his cheek. This makes him chuckle, and then he reaches up to take your hand and bring it to his lips. He kisses it softly, his warm breath wafting over your skin and sending shivers rolling over your body. He rests his forehead against yours, a gentle grin adorning his features. 

Finally, you release Giles and whip around to Sid, throwing your arms around his neck and squeezing tightly. He shakes his head, but he's grinning now as well, and does nothing to stop you as you bury your face in his neck. You clutch the lapels of his coat, feeling the strong, steady (although slightly fast) beating of his heart. Smirking, you lean up to hold his face and kiss his cheek. Skin rapidly turning pink and expression morphing into one of surprise, he tries to wriggle out of your grip, muttering,

"Alright, alright, you're welcome. But thank me later, when I'm not manoeuvring a ton of metal around a mountain." His tone is playfully annoyed, which you laugh at before letting go and sitting back. Your grin hasn't died down a bit, and you still lean over to the window on Nico's side, taking in the beauty of the nature around you. 

And then, twenty minutes and halfway through a forest later, Sid pulls up to an out-of-the-way, grand, stunning mansion. 

Your mouth drops open with shock. He drives up to the large gates and breaks, then opens his window and says into a standing speaker,

"Oi, Byron. We're here. Open up." There is a fleeting moment of silence, followed by a click and the sound of a certain person's voice coming through the speaker on the front. 

_Byron… I can see him again._

"Of course. Thank you, Sid. We'll be out in a moment."

_Hold on, we?_

The gates open seemingly electronically, and Sid drives in, then over a small bridge that is made of white stone and hovers above a body of water surrounding the house. You are somewhat overwhelmed and can only stare out of the window as Sid drives around the fountain in the courtyard, coming to a gentle stop in front of the massive mansion. 

The colour scheme is a mix of white and dark blue, with the mansion set out in a castle-like design. The double doors are white, outlined with marble and led up to by the white stone floor. This has flat slabs of floor between the stairs that come up to a little out from the doors. There are three visible towers at the front of the mansion, with two at the back corners, and the centre front tower has a large clock on it, clean and well-kept with black trimmings. 

You can feel your heart hammering in your chest. You can't take your eyes off the mansion, captivated by the beautiful architecture of its build, but manage to turn away when Sid speaks. "Hey, ___. Why don't you get out and have a look? It's going to be your home for the next three months, anyway, and I'm sure there are people that are coming out who want to see you real bad."

_So it’s not just Byron here. Oh my God, don’t tell me they’re here. This is too perfect…_

Louis has opened the door at Sid's words and climbs out, turning back to offer you his hand. You take it with a small, still amazed smile, then get out and take a few seconds to embrace the building's aesthetics. You haven't thought to let go of Louis' hand, but your fingers slide out when the doors open and three people walk out.

Byron Wagner, Albert Burckhardt and Robert Branche. 

Byron Wagner is dressed in simple clothing, a black t-shirt which hugs his muscled figure and makes his strong shoulders look pronounced. With this, he wears tight black jeans and dark blue and white high-top converse. His blue-black hair is cut sharply and frames his face, making his already prominent features and chiselled jaw stand out. His eye colour is a gorgeous blue-grey, but although it is strong and his gaze is often like steel, he watches you gently as he stands there. He has a matching earring to Nico's, except that his is on his right ear instead of his left. His skin is pale and untouched, glowing in the soft sunlight.

Stood close to him is Albert Burckhardt. His hair is short and coloured like chocolate, and his eyes are a slightly dull but still lovely muted brown that seems to be tinted by grey. Said eyes are covered by glasses which are framed on the top, and his expression is habitually irritated, although there is a good chance that he's actually in a pleasant mood. He is wearing a brown shirt and a jacket over this, black and with two lapels on each side. Even though it's not tight, it shows his lean, thin figure. Tight black jeans encase his long legs, similar to Byron's, and lead down to his black combat boots, which go over his ankles but are still short.

Finally, standing on Byron's other side is Robert Branche. With light brown hair that darkens near the ends, framing his face, he has gentle features and a kind smile. His eyes are a pleasant dark orange that borders on red, with long eyelashes and a soft gaze. He wears a forest green waistcoat and a white shirt under that, along with black jeans and vans of the same colour, albeit with white laces and trims. His body is thin but healthy, and he is quite tall, standing at the same height as Albert and Giles (which is a little taller than Byron).

Your chest squeezes almost painfully at the sight of your friends, who you thought you weren't going to see for months, now stood in front of you.

Before you can even think, you are running.

You feel your eyes blur with tears of joy again as you run up the stairs, seeing Byron smiling softly at you and Robert grinning away. You let out a strangled sort of noise as you launch yourself at Byron, your arms coiling around his neck as you cling to him. He picks you up and holds you against him, your feet off the ground, and you fail miserably to compose yourself. You're so happy that they're all here; you could never have asked for anything more perfect than this.

Byron is the older, half-brother of Nico, since they have the same dad but different mothers, Nico having only known his briefly as a child. Albert is their adopted brother, and so isn’t related by blood; he was adopted with the purpose of being extra protection for Byron and Nico, since their father planned for them to take over his wealth and investments once he died.

Nico still keeps his mother’s last name, having found it out a few years ago, along with the fact that she died protecting him from being hit by a car when he was only a toddler. Byron retained the Wagner surname for several reasons, including because his mother left as soon as she had him and had no interest in raising him.

Along with this, taking the name would keep him eligible to the wealth and investments of his father, which would be guaranteed to bring him some form of security when his father was eventually killed or died. It would also allow him to put an end to the bad conditions that those working under his father had to suffer.

Finally, Albert also found out his birth mother’s name and decided to keep it. She worked for Byron’s father, although she was married to Albert’s biological father who served in the Stein Army, and he unfortunately died shortly before Albert was born. His mother died in childbirth, leaving him as an optimal child to protect the Wagner heirs.

So, technically, none of them are full brothers. However, they all act like it and refer to each other as that, although Albert is hesitant sometimes and seems more uncomfortable with discussing it. They love each other immensely, having survived the previous Wagner’s wrath together and helped each other to cope with him until he was dealt with. Their connections are deep and solid; they are bound together.

Byron, back to the present, moves his hand to the small of your back. He smiles softly.

"Hello, ___. I see you've missed us." His deep, low voice rumbles out of him, almost a purr in your ear. You nod, squeezing his throat more, and he chuckles in response. You rub your tears away and loosen your arms, to which he puts you down and releases you.

Immediately, you turn to Robert and run to him. He opens his arms, letting you fly into them. Laughing softly, you melt into his embrace, his arms wrapping around your middle and lifting you up as well. He's taller than Byron, so you're even higher than before and hold onto him tightly. You feel him rest his face in the crook of your neck and breathe in, then sigh contentedly and squeeze you gently. You reach up to run your fingers through his hair, feeling it to be silky as it runs over your skin.

After a few moments, he puts you down. You beam at him as you step back, then turn around to Albert.

He frowns at you, a small blush forming in his cheeks. Beaming, you lift your arms and reach out to him. He doesn't move, so you step up to him, then hug his middle as he tenses against you. For a moment, he stays completely still. Then, his hands rise up to cradle your head and hold your side, his head lowering to the crown of yours. He presses his lips against it very briefly, then hides his face in your hair for a few seconds more, his hold very strong but ever so careful.

You let him go now, and his cheeks are practically on fire when you glance up at him. This makes you laugh softly, earning a deep scowl from him, before you hear footsteps behind you and turn around. The others are now stood there, watching the scene with varied expressions. You remember that you need to thank Giles and Sid properly and quickly descend the stairs again, running up to the former and watching him grin at you.

Just like Robert and Byron, he takes you into his arms and lifts you up, holding your body against his tightly and pressing his lips against your shoulder. He rubs his thumb against the bones of your spine, his other arm placed protectively over your upper back. You squeeze him tightly, feeling him return the gesture, before he places an innocent kiss on your pulse point. You shiver at this but grin regardless, letting out a soft hum. Your eyes close for a moment. 

He puts you down after several seconds, and you beam at him when he holds your hands, kissing your knuckles with a playfully impish look. You shake your head with a laugh before glancing at Sid, who is watching amusedly. He smirks, although it turns into a grin a second later, before snorting and rolling his eyes.

"You can thank me now."

You roll your eyes back, but your mouth is graced by a beautiful smile. You run to him.

You sprint at him and jump up, using his shoulders as leverage to push yourself up. It's slightly hard, since he's so tall, but he helps you up by grabbing your thighs. Securing your legs around his waist, he lets you attach yourself to him like a koala. You laugh as he hitches you up to be more comfortable, then release a brief shout when he starts to spin around. He howls with laughter as he pulls his neck out of your grip, then momentarily leans back so your torso falls.

You scream properly at this, certain you'll crack your head open on the concrete, but he quickly catches you and holds you against him again. You hear the others chortling and snickering at your reaction, namely Leo and Nico as they burst into giggles, and use Sid's chest to hide your face with a disgruntled expression.

You kick your legs, signalling for him to put you down, and he does so with an amused smile. You turn to Byron, raising your eyebrows with a grin. He smiles back once more. "Now that we've all greeted each other, I would like to introduce those who have never been here."

He glances up, looking at the clock tower, before returning his gaze to you and continuing with a proud but amused look, "This is my home."

You knew that Byron had a "big" house because his father was extremely wealthy and successful when he was... ahem, around, but you never imagined something like this. You've never seen such a big house in your life.

"And now, it is also your home for the next three months, should you wish to stay."

Your heart leaps at this, the thought of staying in a house with your friends lighting up the world and making a huge grin spread over your face. You glance at the others, seeing them watching you for your reaction. You nod quickly, practically bouncing with excitement again. You see Byron chuckle at your reaction, and then he has lifted his hand up, holding it out to you.

For a moment, you are amazed by how happy you are and how perfect this all is. The sunlight is shining down on you all, highlighting all of the colours around you. Your friends are all happy and relaxed, and for once you feel completely and utterly at peace. This is something that only happens very rarely, and you are so grateful for being able to experience it.

You climb the steps once more, taking Byron's hand and feeling his fingers close around yours. You beam up at him as he turns around, leading you into the house. You hear the others follow you both inside, and feel Nico come up on your other side. He grins, skipping alongside you.

You are once again awestruck by the interior design of the mansion; the colours alternate between the consistent dark blue and indigo tones with white, and then gold and black in the corridors and decorations. The ceilings are high with beautiful patterns, and paintings adorn the walls as you all walk through, with statues placed around on spotless podiums.

The boys laugh at your expression, to which you just shake your head, not taking your eyes from the breathtaking décor. You don't even notice Byron guiding you up the leftmost staircase in the main entrance, taking a right into a corridor, and then going left. He slows, pulling you to a stop outside a door.

"Louis," He starts, drawing the blond's attention as he stands on the left of the group. "This will be your room. Of course, if there are any problems, there are always different rooms to change to. Each one is set up in the same way, with the French doors, full-length windows and en suite, but the colour schemes and placement of the furniture varies in each. However, they all have a double ottoman bed, a single armchair, a loveseat and a wardrobe.”

Louis nods, a small smile spreading over his lips. "Thank you." Byron nods, returning the smile, before opening the door.

Inside, the room is white and light blue. The walls shine from the sunlight streaming in from the tall glass doors to the room’s balcony, and the full-length windows that act as the outer walls. There are curtains on either side of them, allowing the windows, and the doors, to be covered up. You see Lucia, his bird, perched on the stand of her gold cage, and she cheeps when he enters the room. She flies over to him, landing on his finger as he raises his hand with a soft laugh. "It's beautiful, Byron. Thank you for letting me bring Lucia."

Byron just nods again, raising his eyebrows with a satisfied look. "Of course. I would never expect you to be here without her, and I hope she enjoys the grounds as much as Spinner does." He then looks back to the group before moving his gaze to you. "Well, I'd like get everyone to their rooms so that they can settle in before lunchtime. Shall we move on?"

When several of the boys make sounds of agreement to that, he gives your hand a gentle squeeze before starting off down the corridor to the right again, coming up to the next door. It's slightly open, which makes you a bit confused. "Giles, you will be staying here."

Giles grins softly, nodding. Byron opens the door. "Thank you, Byron." Giles' room is white with gold skirting boards and coving, and the furniture is a mixture of more white and burgundy. You are amazed by the perfectness of the colours, thinking that so far, the rooms seem to almost be tailored to the boys.

You are pulled out of your thoughts as you hear a soft meow from the room, and then a familiar black cat emerges from underneath the empty desk. You can't help but laugh, watching Michelangelo pad over to Giles, rubbing up against his leg before wandering around the group. He seems to like you quite a bit and nudges your leg with his head, so you let go of Byron's hand with a giggle, picking him up and cradling him against you. He starts purring, which makes you, Nico and Leo simultaneously let out an "Aw" noise.

You kiss the cat's head and stroke him for a few seconds, then put him down with a smile. He runs off down the corridor, which makes Byron let out a soft chuckle. "Let's move on."

He takes your hand once more and leads you to the next door, again marginally open. "So, this is Leo's room-"

He is cut off, however, as a bundle of red flies through the gap and almost hits him in the face. He tugs you out of the way, dodging the fast-moving thing. It slows down, coming to sit atop Leo's shoulder.

"Leo, here! Leo, here!" Sebastian the parrot squawks out, his ability to speak English again confounding you. "Friends, too! Friends!"

Leo just rolls his eyes, rubbing the parrot's neck affectionately anyway. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here."

Alyn scowls from the side, glaring at Sebastian. "Hey, do me a favour and try not to kill anyone while we're here. I am not carrying someone to A&E because they've been hit in the face by a bird and fallen down the stairs."

Seeming to have only heard one thing in that sentence, Sebastian jumps off Leo's shoulder and starts to flap around Alyn’s head, his wings whacking the temperamental boy's face. "Parrot! Parrot! Parrot!" 

You laugh, hearing Alyn swearing. He swats at the parrot, trying to grab it but failing miserably. Leo eventually whistles, making Sebastian fly back to him and perch on his shoulder again. "Sorry about that, little bro." His smirk says otherwise, but it morphs into a smile when he looks at Byron. "Thanks, Byron."

"Of course." He responds kindly, glancing down at you.

You are marvelling at the interior design of the room; the walls are white, the carpet a soft cream, and the furniture is accented with gentle, bright yellows and gold, with scarlet here and there. The light colours make the room glow with the sunshine coming in, reflecting and shining gorgeously. Sebastian’s toys and things are in the corner, next to the large wooden desk. It's very modern and has several sets of draws, which makes you smile; Leo does love studying and writing.

Byron rubs his thumb across yours, lightly pressing down to bring you out of your daze. You glance up at him, coming to attention again, and he chuckles softly. “Shall we go to the next room?”

You nod, beaming. He returns the gesture, pulling you back and out of the room. He goes to the next one, glancing back at Alyn. “This is your room, Alyn.”

Opening the door, he steps inside, and you go in with him. The room has two white walls, with the ones on the side of and opposite the bed being a deep crimson. The furniture is dark wood, appropriately serious for Alyn, with red tints and accents. The coving is black, contrasting the light ceiling and carpet.

Now calmed down from the aerial attack, Alyn comes in, taking in the room. His mouth opens, shock clear on his face. You find yourself grinning, watching him study the room. “Holy shit… this my room?” Byron nods, his lips curling up at the edges. It looks like he’s stifling a grin. Alyn blinks, not seeming to know how to react. “This is amazing. I mean…” His cheeks tint with red, and he coughs, avoiding Byron’s eyes. “Thank you.”

Byron seems to understand Alyn’s struggles with showing his gratitude. He grins properly now, the sight quite literally taking your breath away. It gives him such a different, more relaxed and youthful glow, his features becoming softer and kinder. “You’re very welcome. We’ll go to the other rooms, so you can have some time to look around.”

Alyn nods, slowly turning around, as if memorising every single fraction of the room. Byron just glances at you, still grinning, before he gives your hand another squeeze. Guiding you out of the room, he goes back down the corridor, so that you pass the four rooms you’ve already seen. You see Louis, Giles, and Leo still looking around, and you glance up at Byron.

"Have they already seen the rooms? Louis, Giles and Leo?” You ask. His smile is softer now, and he looks down at you, speaking quietly.

“No. Those three, you and Alyn have not seen the house before. Sid and Robert have been here for several days collectively, for a multitude of reasons, and of course, Nico, Albert and I live here. So, Sid and Robert have essentially had their rooms for a while.” You nod at this. It makes sense.

Byron stops now, in front of the rightmost door on the second corridor. The other rooms were on the right corridor, and this is the rear centre, when one looks from the stairs. He momentarily glances back at the remainder of the group, which consists of Nico, Albert, Robert and Sid. “Is anyone opposed to showing her inside our rooms?”

Albert raises an eyebrow, nudging his glasses up. “I have no issue with it, as long as she does not mess with my belongings.” His eyes snap to Nico, his expression flattening. “This one’s room probably resembles a bomb site, though, so I would not recommend entering it. Or, at least, doing so with caution.”

Nico gasps, looking offended. “Al, your room’s probably worse than mine! You’ve always got paper all over the place when you’re working or writing something and lose your temper.” Nico pauses now. A sudden laugh bursts out of him, his expression becoming playful. “What is it that you’re always getting wrong, anyway? Are you trying to write poetry or something?”

Albert’s face explodes with rage. He whips around, grabbing Nico’s shirt and yanking him forward. “You little brat! You know it’s Russian revision! I despise poetry!”

Nico just giggles, giving the fuming brunette a wink. “Then how come I found a half-written poem last month, abo-”

Albert growls, baring his teeth furiously.

Nico lets out a scream, jerks out of Albert’s grip, and then bolts down the corridor.

You, Byron, Sid and Robert watch them run for it to the stairs, yelling at each other the whole way. When their voices fade, you glance up at Byron. He just shakes his head, smiling a little, before he opens the door to Albert’s room.

Inside, the walls are a light brown, and there is dark laminated flooring that is spotlessly clean. The desk has a pile of paper on it, sorted neatly, although you can see a bin underneath it that’s full of scrunched up paper. The furniture is mostly a chocolate brown or similar shades, except for the white ottoman bed. In the corner, near the French doors, you can see Albert’s pet rabbit, Benjamin. He sits in his cage, nose twitching like there’s no tomorrow, while he nibbles on some spinach.

“Hm.” Byron hums, surveying the room thoughtfully. “It’s extremely tidy in here. He must have cleaned up for the visit.”

You have to grin at that. Albert really is very meticulous with things like that; he likes things to be in order and to go by the rules, and is determined to keep his appearance as the robotic, efficient right-hand man for Byron. Nico makes his life living hell because he thinks it’s funny, but also because he reckons he’s Byron’s right hand man. You don’t think they’ll ever come to a compromise on it, and somehow you feel like that’s a good thing.

Byron speaks again, breaking you out of your thoughts. “Well, let’s move on.”

He guides you to the next room, which you can see is the middle of three doors. There is another one on the left of this one, and then more on the left corridor. This one has two doors to it instead of one, and it looks slightly bigger than the other two. The doors have been painted dark blue, and from this, you guess it’s Byron’s room.

He briefly releases your hand to push down the handles of the doors. With a small amount of force, they swing open, revealing his room. His fingers slip through yours, taking you in.

Inside, the room is like a culmination of the whole mansion’s colour scheme. The ceiling is, surprisingly, black, with what look like stars painted into it, making it look like a night-time sky. This is complimented by the gold coving and skirting boards, but then contrasted by the two royal blue walls on the left and right. The walls behind and in front of you are white, separating the dark colours and giving the room a more stylistic feel to it.

The room _is_ bigger, you see; the double bed is in the centre of wall in front of you, whereas the other rooms had them on the left or right wall. On each side of the bed are a set of French doors, with navy blue curtains hanging on the sides.

It's amazing. All of the rooms are, but... this just screams Byron Wagner. It exudes simplistic yet powerful luxury.

“Oh my God…” The words slip out of your mouth before you can stop them. Not wanting him to take it the wrong way, you swiftly add, forcing your brain to work, “It’s beautiful.”

He chuckles softly, but upon glancing at him, you notice that he looks quite proud and pleased. His gaze slowly rolls around the room, as if he’s studying it for the first time himself, and comes to a gradual halt upon reaching the ceiling. He smiles, looking down at you. “I think I like the ceiling the most. It helps me to sleep even on the most troubled of nights.”

You can only nod, agreeing entirely. “I love it. It’s so simple, but it makes the whole room feel so different. It looks amazing.”

His smile widens. His body seems to relax slightly, as if he’s been relieved of some tension. “Thank you.” He turns to you properly now, still holding your hand, before releasing it and moving his own to your hip. Your head whips around to him, surprise confusion and a good amount of excitement shooting through you. You can only gasp quietly, though, when his other hand mirrors the action, and then he gently pulls you against him. He watches you closely, his lips curled into a small smile.

And then he speaks, in a tone that is undoubtedly loving, shamelessly adoring and completely content. “Would you like to touch the stars, Princess?”

Your mind whirls. That could mean a lot of things, and your mind wastes no time in thinking up some less-than-appropriate images that could be related to the sentence. Feeling your cheeks heat up, but wanting to trust him and let him do whatever he’s got planned, you nod. “Yes.”

He says nothing. He only smiles properly, taking your breath away once more.

A strangled cry forces its way out of your empty lungs, though, as he suddenly tightens his grip on your hips and pushes upwards. He lifts you up against him, so that your stomach is in front of his face, before swiftly removing one hand to put his arm against the back of your thighs. He supports you, putting the other arm there as well, and you place your hands on his shoulders for balance. He stares up at you, expression calm and cool, and all you can do is stare back for a moment.

It’s now that your brain starts to work again, and you look up, seeing that the ceiling is now close enough to touch. Lips parting, you glance back down as Robert and Sid enter the room, then walk over to the French doors. They both close the curtains on each side, darkening the room to maybe half its brightness. They proceed to shut the doors, and the room is plunged almost into pitch blackness, apart from the light you can see around the edges of the curtains. There is a clicking sound, as if someone’s flicked a switch.

The night-time sky appears around you.

You look around, stunned, as you realise that each of the painted stars has a small LED bulb in it, and that they are all wired to come on at the same time. Each one shines brightly, but not enough for it to be ridiculously so, and creates the illusion of the sky above you.

You can’t even find any words to say in response. Your hand rises up, seemingly of its own accord, before your fingertips lightly touch the ceiling around one of the bulbs. You trace your skin across the star, marvelling in how each one is painted to be slightly different, some large, some small, some just dots as if they’re far and some shaped as if they’re closer.

“It’s so…” You breathe out, trying to find the right word. “I don’t even know what to say. It’s stunning.” You glance down at Byron, seeing the light from around the room reflecting in his gaze. “Who did this? How?”

Byron smiles gently. He turns his head, settling his gaze on Robert in the dim lighting.

Your eyes snap to him, and you’re filled with shock and amazement. “You did this, Robert?” He nods, grinning widely. You look between him and the stars, trying to figure out how he did it. “You’re so talented… How did you even do it? How long did it take?”

Byron chuckles now, carefully putting you down on the floor. Your breath catches in your throat at the feeling of his hands sliding up your hips, then your waist, before settling on your middle. He removes his hands after a moment, though, and you remember to breathe again. He instead curls his hand around yours once more, fingers slipping through your own.

As he speaks, Robert and Sid go to the curtains, opening them again before turning the lights off. “Well, let’s just say it involved Sid holding a bucket of paint, a ladder, luck and a week straight of work.”

You squint, the sunlight glaring in through the doors and into your eyes. Byron laughs quietly at your expression, bringing his free hand up to block the sun until your eyes adjust. You smile your thanks, blinking the ocular shock away.

Robert hums, coming over to stand on Byron’s right while Sid sidles up on your left. “We spent one day getting as much furniture out of the room as possible, then covering everything that wasn’t ceiling. Another three days were spent painting the ceiling black and making sure it was thick enough, followed by one day of getting someone in to install the lighting system inside the ceiling. After that, I spent the rest of the week painting the stars.”

You shake your head. “It’s so beautiful, Robert. It’s amazing.”

He grins softly, eyes sparkling. “Thank you.”

Byron gives your hand a gentle squeeze, and you look up at him. “Shall we keep going?”

Your head bobs up and down. “Okay.”

He nods himself, then pulls you out of his room. Sid and Robert close them behind them when they leave, and Byron pulls you into the next room.

The walls are white in this room, with rose-hued accents and coving along with cream carpeted floor. The desk is almost completely empty, but next to it is a stand for fencing swords, where you can see Nico’s favourites showcased in it. The bed is the same ottoman one as the others, but the covers are a darker, deeper fuchsia. It’s actually quite tidy, apart from a water bottle on the bedside table and some bits and pieces strewn around the room.

“Nico’s room?” You ask, glancing up at Byron again. He nods, lips curling up again.

“It seems that he has tidied up as well.” He murmurs almost amusedly, before he pulls you back lightly. “Come. Robert’s room is next.”

He guides you out of the room and to the one that’s first on the left side of the mansion, closest to Nico’s and the upper-left corner. Robert opens the door and steps inside, playfully motioning for you both to enter.

Robert’s room is, as you expect, tinted and accented with a rich forest green, complimenting the white walls and ceiling beautifully. The wall where the bed is has been painted with different shades of green, going from emerald to jade to the deepest pine, to look like a collection of vines, and forestation, lit up and enhanced by the sunlight streaming in rom the full-length windows. You can see his painting easel with his material underneath to catch any paint, and the floor is laminated in light wood.

You can’t take your eyes away from the painted wall. Robert notices this and laughs. “Worry not, ___; I didn’t just turn up at Byron’s house and paint one of his walls.”

A low, rumbled chuckle reverberates out from Byron at that, giving you shivers at the sound. “No, I wanted to see for myself his talents in a form larger than just a canvas, so I offered for him to experiment on the wall, since we had already started to plan this whole this at this point.”

You nod in understanding. He pulls you back, Sid waiting patiently in the hall, but Robert remains in his room. Sid smirks widely, a teasing glint in his eyes. “You wanna see my room?”

You roll your eyes. He just snickers, opening the door and stepping inside. Byron pulls you, and you take in the room.

Of course, indigo blue dominates the colour scheme. The three walls that don’t have the French doors and full-length windows are painted in said colour, and the ceiling is black with white coving, contrasting the black. The bed covers are are a rich navy, and it’s surprisingly made very neatly, with the many pillows on it arranged symmetrically. The desk has a few bits and pieces on it, but is otherwise empty.

“Not gonna lie, I love this room. Thanks, Byron.” Sid admits with a grin, nodding to Byron. The latter just returns the gesture, seeming pleased.

“All that is left is your room. Shall we go and see it?” He asks you, tone almost adoring. You almost bounce with excitement, nodding enthusiastically. His smile widens.

He takes you out and to the next room, opening the door.

Your room seems to have been tailored perfectly to you; it has all of your favourite colours in the coving, walls and carpet, and even the ceiling. You have the same furniture as the guys, although the colours have been changed to fit the scheme of the room, and everything inside is bathed beautifully in sunlight. The loveseat and armchair are facing the windows, giving you a perfect view of the forest surrounding the house and the large fields you can see outside.

Your insides flutter with happiness. This is more than you could have ever hoped for.

You turn to Byron, face full of wonder. "Thank you so much, Byron. I'm so grateful for all of this."

He smiles softly, moving closer with quiet steps, before he takes your other hand and lifts them both to his lips. You find yourself shivering, watching him brush them over your skin, nerves prickling with the contact. "You need not thank me. I owe you much more than this; it's nothing. I'm just glad you're happy."

A grin stretches across your lips at this. You shake your head. "You owe me nothing, Byron."

He shakes his own head, releasing your hands to bring you into a close hug. He lifts you against him while your arms coil around his neck, uttering softly, "I do, ___. You don't know how much I owe you for everything you've done these past few years."

"Well, this alleviates any debt you think you have to me, even though you don't. If anything, I owe you." Your response is laughed out into his neck, and he sighs defeatedly. 

"We'll agree to disagree on this." You laugh whole-heartedly now, and the sound is music to his ears, although you don't see the content look on his face that shows it. He lets you down after a moment, offering, "Shall we find everyone and go outside? Nico is quite eager for you to see the stables."

"Stables?" You repeat, shocked. He nods, and you start to bounce up and down a little from excitement, having done riding extensively in school and having loved every second. "Yes! Oh my God, there are horses here? One hundred percent yes!"

He chuckles at your enthusiasm, holding his hand out to you instinctively; he would never do it with anyone else, but it has become normal now, a frequent thing when you are together. He doesn't do it in public, but amongst the group, he doesn't mind now.

You take his hand, beaming, and let him lead you out of the room. He takes you around the upper floor, gathering everyone as you do, and you are all present except for Nico and Albert upon getting downstairs. However, the said boys are waiting in the entrance for you, and Nico grins upon spotting you coming down the stairs.

"Nico," Byron says, looking marginally amused. "I was thinking that we should show ___ the stables while the weather is preferable, since it has been predicted to be undesirable later."

Not even a microsecond passes after Byron says this, and then Nico has bolted forward, meeting you halfway and grabbing your wrist. "Yes! I'll take her out now - I want to show her Ida!"

You can't even say anything as Nico all but drags you through the entrance, then a room on your right, which you realise is the huge living room.

It contains a TV, which you guess is about 50" big diagonally, along with three couches and two armchairs. A collection of video games and consoles are stored in the unit under the TV, which is mounted onto the wall. Other items and objects are placed around the room, which has white walls and cream carpeted floor, the skirting boards and coving a matte black. There are two doors at the end of the room, which let light in from outside and lead out to what you can see is the garden.

This is exactly where Nico goes, unlocking the doors and pulling you out. The doors lead to the gardens, which are absolutely stunning, with many different species of flowers growing in arranged sections. Behind the gardens, you can see a separate building, which has glass walls but curtains cover the insides. You wonder what it is.

"Come on, ___! I can't wait to show you Ida!" Nico tugs you forward, towards the stables, breaking you out of your trance.

You see him grinning away to himself, bringing you over to the stables, where you can see six gorgeous horses standing inside. One is jet black with a long mane, another white with shorter hair, and the third is a chocolate brown with long hair again. The fourth is a lovely cream colour with almost golden hair, and the fifth is brown with patches of white across its fur. Finally, the sixth, in the centre, has white fur with grey legs and tints across its body, with a beautiful black mane.

Nico takes you to the sixth one, giggling and reaching up to pat the horse's mane with his free hand. "This is Ida. While you're here, we thought you might want to do some riding, and we think Ida's the best suited horse for you. She's just like you but a bit moodier."

You grin and join him, slowly raising your hand up to the horse. You wait patiently, and she leans down, sniffing your skin for a few seconds. Her warm breath makes you let out an excited laugh, seeing her eyes focused on you. After maybe eight seconds, the horse gently presses her nose against your palm, and you rub it gently before patting her face.

"Good girl," You coo, a goofy smile on your face. "You're beautiful, aren't you? Yes, you're stunning. Look at how healthy and strong you are. I bet you could beat all these guys in a race."

"Not quite." Albert's deadpan voice pulls you out of your adoration. You turn to look at him to your left, and he approaches the chocolate horse, which immediately moves towards him. The group follows close behind. He smiles softly, rubbing its face, before continuing,

“This is Maverick. He's the fastest of the horses by quite a bit - he can reach very high speeds very quickly. He's rather difficult to ride as a result, so I wouldn't try riding him until you're used to his speed."

You have to laugh at that. "I'm tempted now. Maybe I'll make it my goal to ride him while I'm here."

You look away at that point, since Nico is poking your arm with an adorable smile. "Hey, do you want to have a go at riding her? She's already trained and has taken a liking to you, so I think she'll let you if you're gentle!"

You nod in agreement, beaming back at him. "If it's okay, yeah!"

He bobs his head in response, pulling you over to the side of Ida. She already has a saddle on, which makes you confused as you glance at Nico. He grins, explaining, "I came out here while Albert was getting your stuff and put it on her, since I wanted to see how she would react to you."

You pause at that. "Wait, my stuff- Nico!"

He gives you no time to finish, instead picking you up by the waist, lifting you onto Ida's back. You frown at him playfully, to which he just giggles before taking the reins and handing them to you. You shake your head, smiling anyway, as you swing a leg over and get comfortable on the saddle and put your feet in the stirrups. Ida seems pretty happy at this, and she whinnies when you rub her neck. "I guess you don't mind me, huh? That's good."

You gently tap your leg against her side, and she starts to trot out of the stables and onto the field. Nico opens the gate to let her through, but as soon as she gets onto the large expanse of grass, she suddenly starts to gallop around, scaring you half to death. You hold back a scream and grip the reins tighter, keeping yourself composed. Ida runs around for a few seconds, and you can hear Sid, Leo and Nico laughing loudly at your lack of control. You make a mental note to slap them all later.

"Ida, slow down! Oi!" You carefully move your body while you pull back on the reins, bringing the horse to a gradual stop. She eventually finds a comfortable pace as she walks around.

You almost feel like she's smug about scaring you, especially when she shakes her head and trots around without a care in the world. You let her speed up gradually, getting used to her as she increases her pace, and soon enough she is galloping around the field again. It's less wild this time, though, and you are able to keep control of her.

You spend a while riding around on her, loving the movement and the feeling of the wind around you. You zone out into your own world, making laps around the field, letting Ida run and jump as she wishes. She seems more than happy to have you riding her now, and she whinnies when you reach forward to rub her neck.

You're only pulled from your trance when you hear Byron shouting behind you, his voice commanding and loud as it booms across the field.

"Nico, Albert! Bring Ida back; there's a storm coming." You glance up at the sky, seeing that there are thick clouds forming above you. They have been collecting for a while now, but you thought that they were just rain clouds. Upon inspecting them further, you see that they are quite dark, and you feel the temperature dropping swiftly, the air around you buzzing.

"Come on, Ida. Let's go back." You say calmly, rubbing Ida's neck. You turn her around and start to make your way across the field swiftly, hearing Ida's breath rushing in and out of her lungs.

And then, suddenly, there is a rumble of thunder above you. You're still maybe twenty foot from the stables.

Ida immediately neighs, running much faster and becoming distressed quickly. You grit your teeth, forcing yourself not to panic. "Ida, it's okay! We're nearly there now, we're alright-"

You are cut off, however, as a loud boom of thunder ripples through the air. The world flashes white for a second, lightning striking down nearby. Ida loses it then, suddenly coming to a stop. You are thrown forward, against her back, and the wind is knocked out of you in the process. Before you can recover, though, she rears back onto her hind legs, standing up and tipping you back.

You try to cling onto the reins for a moment, but your foot falls out of the stirrup. You know you can't let yourself get stuck and be thrown about on one leg.

So, you go to let go of her. Before you have time, she quickly comes back down, then rears again. You don't have a choice now, and you slide off her back, feeling the air rush around you for a brief moment as gravity takes over. You brace yourself.

You hit the floor on your back, again winded harshly, but you waste no time in rolling away from Ida with your head covered by your arms. When you are a safe distance away from her, you run around to her front, grabbing her rein when she comes down and tugging her backwards.

"Come on, Ida! It's okay - let's go back to the stable, yeah? It'll be nice and warm in there, and there'll be food! You're okay, Ida!" This seems to help a tiny bit, but she is still thrashing about with panic. You pull harder, but she resists, evidently not trusting you enough to get her to safety. You don't blame her; she barely knows you. 

"___!" You hear Nico call out to you, and you nearly collapse with relief, seeing him and Albert running over upon glancing back. They reach you swiftly, and Nico starts to talk to Ida, attempting to calm her. Albert pulls on the reins and saddle, forcing her to start walking towards the stables. 

It takes a few minutes to get her inside, and to then get her settled, but once the doors to the stables are closed, she seems to become much less distressed. 

You sigh when this is done, hearing the side door open and seeing the others file in. You are leaning against the wall, still getting your breath back. Nico turns to you, eyes wide with worry.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? ___, talk to me - did she stand on you?" Darting to you, holds your face in his hands as he fires questions at you. He runs them over your hair and features, his skin warm against yours. 

"I'm fine, Nico. I was just a bit winded when she threw me off, but she didn't stand on me. I moved away before she could." You answer him reassuringly, smiling up at him, and he heaves out a breath before tugging you into his arms. He holds you against him tightly, nearly crushing your waist as he rests his face in the crook of your neck. You smile at his concern, stroking his hair soothingly. "I'm okay, honestly. I should have been paying more attention to the weather."

He shakes his head, responding, "It's not your fault at all. You couldn't have known it would be a storm, and that it would come on so quickly."

You pull back at this and he leans forward, letting his forehead gently rest against yours. He cups your face again, his deep eyes staring into your own, his fingers smoothing over your cheekbones and under your eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asks, his voice deeper and smoother than before. He doesn't look as worried now, but still not quite relaxed. You nod, smiling up at him.

You are distracted after this, though, as Byron approaches and stands next to Nico, looking down at you with worry. "Are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

You let out a laugh, shaking your head. "I'm fine. She just startled me and I got a bit winded when she threw me off, but I'm perfectly fine."

He studies you for a moment, scanning you for injuries, and then nods. Apparently, your state is satisfactory to him.

He then steps up close to you, and without warning, leans down to put his arms under your bum and lift you up against him. His head falls onto your shoulder, both of your chests pressed together, your heart stuttering at the sensation. You see the others watching with smiles or smirks, along with a grin from Leo, as you wrap your arms around his neck and drop your face to be pressed against the crown of his head.

He turns around now, looking over your shoulder to walk out of the stables after nodding to Nico and Albert. He walks around the house swiftly, then goes inside through the back door and into the living room. You find yourself blushing when he turns you around in his grip, his arm sliding from under your bum to the back of your knees. The other shifts to support your torso. He's now carrying you bridal style as he sits down on the couch, putting you on his knee.

He pulls you close to him, his lips hovering over your temple, arms cradling you against his chest. You only realise how cool the air is when you curl into him, feeling the warmth radiating from him. You snuggle into him, holding back a shiver. He seems to notice your coolness, though, as his fingers run down your arm lightly. He presses his hand against your skin for a second, feeling it to be chilly, before he looks down at you and asks,

"Are you cold?" You smile into his neck, shrugging.

"A little bit, but I'm okay. You're nice and warm." You laugh the last part out, and he shakes his head with a smile of his own. His arms coil around you tighter.

"I'll go get you something. Do you want one of your hoodies? All your stuff’s already here." Leo's voice drifts into your ear from behind the couch, and you see him leaning over, smiling down at you. You go to sit up, saying,

"It's fine, honestly. I'm not that co-" You are stopped short as he presses a hand over your mouth, tutting at you.

"I'm going upstairs anyway; I need to go feed Sebastian and make sure he's okay. Now, do you want a hoodie?" You press your lips together for a moment, feeling bad, before you nod. He's not going to give up.

"Yes, please. My favourite one?" He nods with a wink, leaning down to kiss your forehead before wandering off upstairs.

The others are in the living room now, sitting around the room, and you see Nico turn the TV on as Albert locks the back door. The news comes on, with the standard messed up politics and baby pandas wandering about, and then the weather comes on, forecasting storms and heavy rain throughout the day as well as the week.

"Damn." Alyn grumbles from the side, scowling at the screen. "I wanted to ride today, too."

"The weather has been getting more unpredictable lately." Albert responds dryly, walking in and sitting on Nico's left, the latter being next to you and Byron. Nico absently picks up your legs and rests them on his lap, his fingers rubbing and massaging the muscles of your calf. You sigh and close your eyes, the feeling alleviating any tension in your legs and making you relax. "Humanity's fault, of course."

"Al! Down be such a downer! We can't do anything to change the past, so we've just got to do our best now. We're on holiday - lighten up!" Nico whines at the taller male, who you hear scoff.

It's now that you feel a face hover close to yours, and a certain Crawford's voice whispers in your ear, "Hey, Princess."

You open your eyes and tilt your head back, looking up at Leo above you. He grins, playfully dropping your hoodie onto your face. You laugh and take it off, saying, "Thanks, Leo. Is Sebastian okay?"

He nods, smirking. "Yeah, he's fine. I think he wants to annoy Alyn some more for calling him a bird earlier. He's a little pissed."

"Stupid ball of feathers." Alyn murmurs, sounding peeved himself.

Leo rolls his eyes at that, plopping down next to his brother on the couch. You laugh again before sitting up, smiling at Byron, and pulling the hoodie over your head. While you tug it down, Byron fixes it, idly straightening the bottom. You pull the sleeves down, instantly feeling warmer with it on. He smiles softly at the sight of you, watching your content expression. Balling your hands up in the material, you grin, burrowing into him again.

Wrapping his arms around you once more, he takes your hands in his, feeling your fingers to be cold still. He envelops your hands in his own, enjoying the sensation of holding them, so small and delicate compared to anyone else’s he held before.

But this doesn't mean that he sees you as fragile; he knows, as do all of the others, that you are not a toy, nor do you allow anyone to mess with you or anything you love. You will stand up for and protect yourself and anyone you love, whether it be emotionally, mentally or physically, and they know that you can handle yourself very well in the latter respect. They've seen you flip men over your shoulder and fight off four attackers at once. They've watched you take hits for other people and come back swinging, guarding others with your life. You are not defenceless and helpless.

They all know this. They have for a long time.

However, that doesn't mean that they don't or won't treat you like a princess. That's what you are to them; you are a strong, independent young woman who is more than capable enough of managing herself, but you have a soft side. You love contact with them all, love being close to them and knowing that they're alright. You are always there to help them and support them in anything they do or want, and will never judge them for things others probably would.

They've broken down in front of you, shown you their worst and weakest, broken and battered. They’ve needed someone to put them back together, and you've done it. At least once for each of them, you've delved into the dark and pulled them out, taking them back into the light and building them up again when the world has beaten them down.

They need you, and you need them. You are a structure together, a fortress. As much as you hold them up, they hold you up, too. They're always ready to catch you should you fall, if you need to cry, you can cry to them. There are no secrets that you wouldn't be able to tell one of them, and you know they're always waiting for you with open arms.

You have your own little world with them. Your own, quiet existence, where everyone else matters little and you are all happy to be together. There are tensions and fights sometimes, there are spats and every now and again the group is dragged down by something, but you have never not been able to stand back up together. 

"Byron?" Your voice is gentle as you squeeze his fingers, staring up at him. He has been gazing down at your hands, deep in thought, but now he breaks out of his trance and looks at you. Your expression softens, eyes watching him with that tender look only you have ever given him. Your lips turn up in a small smile. "Are you okay?"

He finds a smile of his own forming, something that happens frequently when he’s with you. He nods, lifting your hands up and lowering his head. He brushes his lips over your knuckles, then the bones of your fingers, gradually making his way down. He kisses the skin, moving down the segments until he reaches your fingertips. He leaves his lips on the tip of your index finger, pressing it against his mouth for a moment. He speaks softly against it, his voice low and mumbled. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

You smile and nod, sensing that he's alright. He keeps your finger against his lips, and you trace it over the outline of his mouth every now and again, seeing him relax into your touch. His hair is covering his right eye, but you see that his left is closed, his face becoming free of tension.

The others have been watching this with a variety of expressions, and you only break out of it when you realise that Nico's fingers are massaging your leg harder than before. You glance at him, seeing him staring at your finger. He is frowning slightly, although he quickly smiles when he catches you looking at him. The others seem just as put out by Byron’s actions, with scowls coming from Sid, Louis and Leo, and unreadable but not exactly pleased expressions from the rest.

"Guys?" You say, voice small with concern. "What's wrong? What is it?"

They are quick to snap out of it and stop looking when you say this.

A low, deep chuckle rumbles out of Byron’s chest, and a very odd tremor ripples down your back at the sound. You freeze at his words.

 "I think I may be keeping you all to myself, and the others are getting a little bit jealous of me."

**♡♔♡**


	3. Part III | Tickle War, Just Keep Swimming, First Doubt, and a Nap.

**_Previously:_ **

_"Guys?" You say, voice small with concern. "What's wrong? What is it?"_

_They are quick to snap out of it and stop looking when you say this._

_A low, deep chuckle rumbles out of Byron’s chest., and a very odd tremor ripples down your back at the sound. You freeze at his words._

_"I think I may be keeping you all to myself, and the others are getting a little bit jealous of me."_

**♡♔♡**

Your heart thuds in your chest, and you quickly scan the faces of the boys. They are keeping their gazes away from you, it seems. Alyn coughs awkwardly, turning away. "Wha-"

Before you can even ask for an explanation, Nico jumps out of his seat, spinning around to you and leaning down. He scoops you up into his arms, forcing you off Byron's knees and out of his grip, before practically jogging around the couch and into the hall. He then takes you to the main stairs, hopping up them quickly. You hear intense discussion start immediately and movement behind you.

Nico glances behind him for a fraction of a second, then calls back, "I'm going to show her the big room!"

You stare up at him, clinging onto his neck to both steady yourself and alleviate a bit of weight from him. He sends you a small grin at this, shifting you up to be more secure in his arms, before he reaches the top of the stairs and lets out a breath. Feeling unease creeping up on you, you speak quietly, asking, "Nico, what's going on? What was that about?"

He glances down at you with a beaming smile now, answering, "Don't worry, we're just having a bit of a debate between ourselves. And just now, Byron surprised us, since we've never seen him do that before."

You frown. "Do what?"

He looks a bit confused now, his eyebrows rising. "The way he held your finger. He's always been really reserved, so it was strange to see him be a bit more comfortable like that."

"But he touches people quite a lot now, and he's been comfortable with holding my hands for ages. It's nothing new." You say back. Nico stops as he makes a face, seeming to think about his words carefully.

"I..." He pauses for a moment. "It's not that, it's complicated..." He shakes his head, putting a smile back on. "It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it."

You don't like this. It's been a long time since one of them have told you to leave something alone without any explanation. "Nico..."

He starts to walk again, into a room in front of the stairs that you haven't been into yet. He kicks open the door with his foot, giving you a weaker smile. "___, you know we don't keep anything from you anymore. We tell you everything. This is the one thing that none of us can tell you, not yet. We need a bit of time before we can. Please, can you give us a bit longer? I promise we'll tell you, but not now."

You've heard that tone before. It's the one Nico uses when he's completely serious about something, and grimly determined to see it through. You swallow back your fear, not allowing your mind to start thinking about it too deeply. "Okay."

He is in the room now and leans down, resting his forehead against yours for a few seconds. His amber eyes watch your own lovingly, and a more natural smile stretches over his lips. He pulls you closer, holding you against his chest harder, and the sensation of his solid, warm chest sends your heart stuttering. "Thank you, Princess. I swear, we will tell you. We're just not quite ready yet, and it could end up going wrong if we did tell you now."

That does make you more willing to cooperate, but it also makes you more worried about whatever the problem is. It's not normal for you - not at this point - to be kept out of something serious that's going on. Anything happening to anyone in the group is always explained to the others at some point, even briefly, so that they can do what they can to help. Being kept out says a lot about the possibilities of what it could be.

It's now that Nico looks up, grinning and announcing, "Anyway, welcome to my favourite room in the house!"

You look around now, seeing that you are in a large room, probably as big as the entrance. It has white walls with cream carpet, which you can see if soft and fluffy. In the centre against the wall is what looks like a huge bed, big enough to fit maybe twelve people. It's full of pillows and smaller but still thick blankets, all different colours and patterns. Around the room, games and equipment are dotted about, and there is even a large TV mounted on the wall with an Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4 set up in a gaming cabinet underneath.

"What..." You breathe out the word, struggling to form a sentence at the strange but brilliant room and its contents. "What is this?"

Nico laughs and approaches the bed, setting you down on it before perching next to you. You take your shoes off, Nico helping once he sees what you are doing. He slips his own off and you help him as well, sticking your tongue out when he gives you a look.

"It used to be our old bedroom. Our dad wouldn't let us have our own rooms, even though there were loads around the house, so we stayed in here. We didn't have all this stuff, but we had a big bed like this to fit us three in. When he left, we kept it as a joint bedroom in case we ever did bring anyone over, or for when we decide to sleep together like we used to. Sometimes we have nights where we just need to be together, and this is how we deal with it." He grins, bouncing a little on the comfortable bed. "And it makes a great games room. It's quiet and big."

You shake your head, trying to get rid of your unease and absorb the new room at the same time. "It's amazing."

He laughs at that, humming for a second. "Well, if you ever feel like sleeping in here, you're more than welcome. I come in here most nights anyway; it's just nicer in here." Nico tilts his head for a second, and then his eyes light up. "And I guess it'll be good if Leo's having trouble sleeping. I know you stay with him sometimes, so he might want to stay in here on those nights."

You nod at that. It's definitely convenient and will be helpful with Leo, should he want to use the room.

The others arrive at this point, filtering in. From the surprised looks on Leo, Giles, Louis and Alyn's faces, they haven't seen the room before either. Nico laughs loudly at the confusion Alyn shows, and he bursts into hysterics as the russet-haired Crawford’s face goes red. His eyes are wide, staring at the large bed before him.

"Okay, what the fuck?"

Nico takes the next few minutes to explain the room and why it is the way it is, and you have a look around yourself, still sat on the bed. You notice a fluffy blanket near you and smile, lying down on it. It's so comfortable and soft, and you sigh contentedly. Curling up on it, you think of bright lights and colours and soft music, near enough succeeding in forgetting about the issue before.

And you are completely successful in forgetting when you suddenly hear Nico shout, once again,

"Nico Nico nii!"

You scream as he pounces on you, jumping on top of you before tickling your sides relentlessly. You squirm and laugh underneath him, feeling his fingers run over your sides and hips, body thrashing about in an attempt to escape. You manage to wriggle out of his grip on your stomach, but he grabs you by your hips and pulls you back, wrapping his arms around you and tickling you for all he's worth.

You scream and giggle underneath him, hearing his own tinkling laughter above you, as his fingers dance over the skin of your stomach and sides. The sound of his giggles sets your body aflame, warmth coiling and bursting inside you. Your nerves tingle where his fingers touch, stomach tightening at the sensation of his arms locked underneath you. Breathless and lungs crying for air, you try to push him off, kicking and flailing wildly. You don’t want to be out of his arms, though.

One of your kicks works and you are able to push back from him, scampering across the bed. Barely a second after, someone else jumps onto the bed behind you. A pair of arms wrap around your upper torso, locking around you and holding your arms mostly at your sides. You scream playfully again, the smell of soft spice entering your senses, and you instantly know that it's Leo. 

You cry out as he tips back, pulling you against his chest. His hold on you restricts your arm movements, crushing your efforts to get away. He is able to grab your wrists, securing them against your middle and leaving you vulnerable.

Yes, vulnerable not only to Nico, but also to Sid and Louis as they approach.

You double your efforts, knowing they'll be cruel in their tickling. Nico just keeps on laughing, then holds your legs down, mostly preventing you from kicking about on the bed. Not a second later, Sid has jumped onto the bed and attacks your waist, fingers slipping under your hoodie and shirt to tickle and prod at the skin underneath. Sparks flit through your abdomen, muscles trembling under his touch. You’re glad for your already heated cheeks, since they hide the way your body is reacting to the sensation.

After he does this, Louis starts to tickle your feet, which near enough sends you into hysterics. Nico releases your legs, letting his fingers switch between the back of your knees and your side with Sid. You lose it completely when Leo, who has been howling with laughter the whole time, leans down to bite and nip at your neck, further adding to the tickling.

You are completely breathless very quickly, but they don't give up, continuing with their movements and tickles until you are quite literally screaming with laughter. They all seem to revel in it, watching your face as you writhe and squirm under them, but you don't notice. You can't focus on anything but their touches, feeling them so close and comfortable. You love that you can do this with them, that they are willing to do it too. It makes it all worth it.

"Do you give up yet, ___?" Leo asks in your ear teasingly, somehow heard over your giggles and screams.

"Are you gonna beg for mercy yet?" Sid joins in with the taunts, grinning evilly. You shake your head violently, determined not to give in.

"No! Never!" You shout back. Eyes lifting to look at him, tears of laughter blur your vision. You blink them away fast enough to see him smirk and look at the others, nodding with a malicious glint in his eye.

_Oh, shit._

All at once, they increase their tickling. Nico's fingers crawl up your thigh, making it seize up as the twitches and shudders get much worse. Louis keeps tickling your feet whilst leaning over to nibble at your ankle, and Sid starts to tickle your lower back as well. Your skin prickles everywhere, not only with being ticklish but also something much stronger and more confusing, heart pounding away.

You are about ready to give up. Leo manages to pull your arms over your chest far enough that he can trap them there, then tickle under them, at the top of your sides.

Your defeat comes quickly.

"Stop! Stop, I give up! I surrender!" You cry out, tears running down your face.

"Ask for mercy." Sid presses, smirking and poking at your upper stomach. You try to resist, but after a few more seconds, you can't take it. Deciding to swallow your pride, a desperate screech escapes your throat, Sid’s fingers brushing over the bottom of your spine and making your whole body jerk wildly. Still thrashing about as much as you can, you yell out,

"Okay! Please! Mercy! Oh my God, stop! Mercy, I surrender!"

Sid is sent into a bout of loud laughs at their victory, but the boys all pull back, although Leo keeps his arms wrapped around you. You breathe raggedly, face streaked with tears, trying and failing to stifle your giggles. It takes a few minutes to do so, and you can hear the boys breathing heavily with you, having had to restrain as well as tickle your poor body.

Leo rocks you from side to side, letting you hide your face in his neck, smiling weakly in your exhausted state. Sid smirks even wider, his laughter having stopped, before he rests a hand on your stomach and rubs it in a way that feels soothing. You jump at first, expecting him to tickle you again, and even around Leo's neck you can see him rolling his eyes playfully. Nico beams and lies down, resting his head on your thigh and hugging your legs, while Louis leaves his hand on your ankle, massaging it gently.

Leo sighs happily, then grins as he leans in close, licking one of your tears as it runs down your cheek. You giggle again, trying to worm away, but find yourself laughing when he sticks his tongue out and follows you. He chuckles again before stopping, but one of his hands comes up to gently wipe the tears from your face, smoothing over your skin with the softest of touches. 

For a second, you think about how strange this all is. One girl, in a group with nine boys, this close to them... it's unheard of. It doesn't happen, or if it ever did, it would never be accepted.

But here you are.

It's not like you haven't faced problems because of how you are with the boys. You've taken a lot because of it, and at times it’s near enough destroyed you, but they got you through it. They were there every step of the way, and you got past it.

But that's a story for another time.

"You haven't killed her, have you? I'm not resuscitating her." Alyn's voice grumbles from across the room. You see him leaning against the wall, staring at Leo with a pointedly irritated expression.

Leo smirks at him, tightening his grip on your middle. "No, I think she's okay." He then leans in close to your face, adding with his lips over your cheek, his warm breath sending shivers rocking through you, "But I wouldn't mind resuscitating her."

"That's disturbing." Alyn retorts, scowling from the wall. Leo snorts. You hope he can’t feel the quickened beating of your heart against his chest.

"It's hypothetical, little brother. Don't worry, she's not going anywhere anytime soon." Leo replies, his voice bordering on chiding. Alyn just rolls his eyes.

"So, what are we doing today?" You ask, shifting in Leo's lap to be sat more comfortably between his legs. Nico hums, pressing his face into your leg harder.

"It's completely up to all of you. The weather isn't very pleasant, so I wouldn't suggest doing anything outside, but we could do something in the house or go somewhere in the city while staying out of the rain." Byron answers your questions evenly, sitting down on the bed near to where Nico is. He smiles slightly, reaching over to ruffle his brother's hair. "Although this one could just lie around all day and be lazy, I'm sure."

Nico tries to get Byron's hand off him, giggling and saying, "Hey, ___ and Leo like being lazy and doing nothing at all too! We're teenagers! It's normal!"

Byron raises an eyebrow, looking amused. Hooking an arm around the rose-haired boy’s waist, he pulls him into his side and continues to mess up his hair with his free hand, seemingly not bothered by the latter's attempts to escape. "I'm sure they do. However, we should use our time wisely, since it will go quickly. All holidays do."

Nico just squirms in response, and Albert nods from across the room. "We should exhaust any activities that we want to do first, also because it will be getting much colder towards the end of the holidays. Some things must be done earlier than later."

Nico lets out a disgruntled noise at that, giving up at escaping and collapsing against Byron. The said Wagner tucks him under his shoulder, absently stroking his hair. Nico beams, cuddling into him. It's nice to see that he's happy when he's with Byron, and that Byron is affectionate with him at times. All of them - Nico, Byron and Albert, although it could be said for the rest of the group just as justifiably - haven't been exposed to as much love as they should have as children, so they need it now, as much as they can get. 

"What are our options, then?" Giles asks, stepping over to sit on the bed next to Leo. Robert follows, climbing over to be on Leo's other side before holding your hand gently. That leaves Albert and Alyn stood across the room, typical of their personalities, although Albert comes a little closer.

Byron thinks for a moment, then answers, "Inside the house, we have things like games, TV, cooking, training equipment, fencing and duelling along with the other sports we do at school - which we can do inside - along with other activities like painting and music. We also have the swimming pool, which is inside."

Sid picks up here. "Outside, you've got the museums in Stein City Centre, the restaurants that are dotted around, cinemas, the aquarium, bowls and bowling courts, indoor and outdoor sports and paintballing."

"Wait, wait." You stop him there, eyes wide. Your gaze flies to Byron. "You have a pool?"

Byron smirks a little, glancing at Nico. "You didn't tell her we had a swimming pool?"

Nico stops for a moment, and then he smiles sheepishly. "I may have forgotten about that." Nico turns to you, grinning properly now. "Did you see the building behind the gardens earlier?" You nod. "That's the swimming pool."

Robert chuckles at your expression, rubbing your hand. "I think we know what ___ wants to do."

You quickly snap out of it, shaking your head. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised, since I didn't know."

Leo laughs at that, rubbing his face against yours and squeezing your waist. "You're too cute, Princess. I could go for swimming right now."

"Me too. I haven't done it in ages." Nico agrees, and Byron nods as well. 

"It'd be healthier and more productive than sitting around, at least." Albert says.

"I need to burn off some energy. I'm in." Alyn sighs out, finally coming over from the wall plop down on the bed, letting his head fall on your knee.

"I haven't swam for a long time. I should probably get used to it again." Louis ponders, still rubbing your ankle, and both Giles and Robert nod.

Sid snickers, poking Alyn's face. "I want to see this one's face when I annihilate him in a race again, like year 10."

Alyn's cheeks immediately gain a pink tint at that, and he throws himself up, shoving Sid as he snaps, "You did not win. You cheated."

"Eh, cheating is just playing with your own rules. I see no difference, slowpoke." Sid taunts the easily angered boy.

Not a second later, they are rolling off the bed, wrestling on the floor. You watch them with a soft grin, seeing them try to pin each other down. It doesn't work and they more or less just keep chucking each other around, swearing and grunting.

"Well, shall we go and get ready, then? We may as well get our costumes on over here and put clothes on over them, then take towels with us for when we come back." Byron suggests. The boys nod, starting to get up. Leo doesn't move, however, instead tightening his grip on your waist. You roll your eyes playfully, trying to get his arms off you.

"Leo, let go." You say, smiling all the while, and he grins into your neck as he lies down, holding you on top of him. You start to wriggle in his arms, whining, "Leo, I want to go swimming! Come on!"

When he doesn't let go, simply snickering into your hair, you jab his ribs with your elbow. He yelps and his grip loosens a little, allowing you to jump up and out of his hold. You laugh while you run through the others, then out of the door, sprinting down the hallway to your room.

He's quick, though, and is after you in microseconds. He catches up to you just as you reach your room, grabbing your wrist and pulling you into him. You scream in protest when he picks you up by your waist, turning around and slinging you over his shoulder. He howls with laughter, seeing you panic and cling onto him, afraid of being dropped.

"Leo, what are you doing?" Giles asks down the corridor. Leo turns, allowing you to see the others watching curiously.

"I'm stealing this one. She tried to run away from me." Leo answers, his tone dismissive. He then starts to walk towards his room, and you slap his back helplessly, shouting,

"Leo, put me down!" He just keeps laughing.

"Leo, stop being an asshole. Put her down so she can get ready." Alyn snaps, sounding surprisingly angry. The latter sighs dramatically, setting you down on the floor and responding,

"You're such a sourpuss, Alyn. I was only messing around. She doesn't mind." Alyn just shakes his head, storming off to his room. You watch him go, a little worried about him, but look back to Leo when he places his hand on your cheek. "Don't worry about him. He's fine; just let him let off some steam, and he'll loosen up later."

He then steps closer, bringing his other hand up so that he is cupping your face, thumbs brushing over your cheekbones. "Does it bother you when I do stuff like that? I didn't think it did, but I'll stop if you want me to."

You shake your head, answering quickly. "No, I don't mind at all. It's never bothered me. I think Alyn's just worried about time or something." Seeing his satisfied but still unsure expression, you reach up to hold his right hand where it lies on your face, squeezing it gently. "It's okay, honestly. It doesn't bother me at all."

He nods, and you let go of his hand as he drops his with a sigh. "Okay. Sorry, I just got a bit worried there. I thought I'd crossed the line." He laughs now, running his fingers through his hair. He steps back from you, and you silently mourn the absence of the closeness. "Well, we should get ready. I'll meet you outside your room."

You nod at this, turning around and going down the hallway to your room. The others have already gone, so it's quiet when you enter, seeing your suitcase on top of the wardrobe. Upon inspecting the drawers and the wardrobe itself, you see that all of your clothes have been put in already, and you make a mental note to thank whoever did it. And slap them, since they would have had to look at your underwear.

You quickly find your swimming costume, a tankini in your favourite colour with a pattern on the top. It is a halter neck style, fastening around the back of your neck, but it still supports your chest well and feels comfortable. The bottoms are in the style of shorts, but aren't very long at all, just enough to hide the tops of your thighs.

You take out a beach kaftan and throw it on, seeing that it comes down to your mid thighs and is perforated, but you can't see through it properly. You pull the string at your waist to tighten it, then put on some gladiator sandals, since they'll be easy to take off. Seeking out one of your towels from the en suite, you fix your hair, then go out of your room.

Leo is waiting like he said he would be, wearing a thin white t-shirt and a pair of shorts with flip flops. He nods at your outfit, eyes lighting up, before he holds his hand out to you. You take it, holding your towel in the other, and follow him as he escorts you to the stairs. You both wait there for the others, and after a few minutes, you have all arrived there. The boys are all wearing similar clothes and have their towels with them, and Albert has a pair of goggles with him.

"Are we ready?" Byron asks, and there is a collective nod from the group. Nico grins.

"Let's do this."

**__** **♡♔♡**

You all make your way downstairs and through the house to outside, where the thunder and lightning is still going but seems to have moved a bit to the west. You make a run for it when you get out, since it has started raining heavily and the raindrops are big, bouncing when they hit the floor. You find yourself laughing with Leo as you all run through the garden, trying to keep your towels dry while you sprint for it.

You finally reach the building and go to the door, which Byron unlocks with a key has had in his hand. You all scurry inside, and from the door, you can either go to the pool on the left, or to the changing rooms on the right. There is another door directly in front of you, but you don't know what it is.

"We can just put our towels on the side in the pool." Byron says, leading you all into the pool room.

The smell of chlorine is pleasantly strong in the room, and your insides flutter with excitement at the sight of the water. You grin, seeing that the pool is a full-size one, and that there are ledges around the edge where Byron gestures for everyone to put their things. You put yours down and untie the string on the dress as the others shrug off their t-shirts and shorts. You take your gladiators off, then slide the dress off, folding it and putting it on the side. 

"I turned the heating on when we decided to come in here, but the water may not be warm yet." Byron explains, his gaze sliding to you. A little smirk slips onto his lips. "Would you like to be the first to see if it's warm enough?"

You don't trust it when Byron smirks. You step back, pointing to Sid instead and laughing out, "No, I'm okay. I think Sid should be the first-"

You don't even get to finish before you are scooped up, and the familiar smell of soap and flowers surrounds you. You look up in shock as Albert lifts you into his arms, then says dryly, blushing at your body against his bare chest, "You came up with the idea of swimming."

He then steps forward, an evil little smile curling the edges of his lips. Before you can shout at him to stop, he has moved to the side of the pool. He pulls his arms back, and then launches you into the air.

You feel yourself floating for a second, temporarily flying, screaming all the way. You hit the water.

It’s sub fucking zero.

You kick your way to the surface and emerge from the water, seeing Leo and Sid howling with laughter. Giles and Robert are laughing just as openly, and Nico is giggling. You scowl, splashing water at them and missing by a few feet. "Albert! You little-"

Again, you don't get your words out, because it is now that Nico jumps at Albert and swipes his glasses, then hops back and out of his way. As Albert growls at him and reaches out to probably throttle him, Sid grabs the brunette by his chest and throws him in as well.

He lands near you with a splash before coming up, face furious. "Nico, you son of a-"

"Nico Nico nii!"

Nico jumps in before he can be pushed, pointedly aiming away from Albert. The others follow in a series of pushes, and then everyone is in, mostly hissing and shivering at the cold. It starts to warm up after a few minutes, though. Albert retrieves his goggles from the side, which you know are made to be the same prescription as his glasses, and puts them on.

As soon as he can see properly again, he goes straight after Nico, moving like a shark through the water. Nico, bless him and his smaller height, tries to swim away, but Albert catches up quickly. Nico instead opts for using Byron as a shield, jumping onto his back. Byron hoists him up, seeming entertained by the whole thing, lips quirking up. You grin at Albert and nod from the side, diving under the water before Nico or Byron notice. You blink under the water, your vision blurry but intact, and shoot towards Byron's legs.

You quickly grab one, using the other as leverage as you pull it out from under him. You plant your hands on his back, shoving him forward.

He quickly tips over, Nico's weight not helping him at all, and they both crash into the water together. You emerge from the water in a fit of laughter, watching as Albert hauls Nico up and chucks him across the pool, screaming all the way. His shocked little face is too funny not to laugh at, and for a few seconds you just stand there, watching him trying to get his balance back and locate Albert.

And in these few seconds, you don't notice a certain raven-haired Wagner under the water, closing in on you as you stand there.

And then he grabs your waist and holds you above him, balanced precariously on his palms, one on your back and the other on your thigh. You are screaming incoherently, terrified of falling, and he lets out a loud laugh at your panicked voice. Without warning, he drops you down a little, then uses the small bit of leverage he created to throw you again.

You emerge once more, dragging your hair out of your face and wiping your eyes. You can see Giles, Alyn and Leo having a splashing war with each other, Robert is relaxing at the side with Louis, and Albert is once again chasing Nico around the pool. Byron is stood in the same place, watching like you, but one of them is missing.

"Sid-"

You can only screech as the said male appears from underneath you, draping your legs over his shoulders and taking your hands in a fluid motion. He stands up, you on his shoulders, and winks up at you while you try to balance on him.

"Okay, who's playing chicken?" He shouts. Nico immediately starts to bounce up and down, proceeding to then be knocked into the water by Albert. 

"I will." Byron says from behind you.

"Me too." Leo announces, grinning widely and wiggling his eyebrows at Alyn. The latter rolls his eyes, but he steps closer.

"Never mind. Everyone's playing and I dibs ___, so you guys get paired up." Sid says, smirking all the while. The others start to passive-aggressively decide on who will be on whose shoulders.

"Do you want me to get down for a second, so you don't get tired?" You ask Sid, looking down at him. He looks up and shakes his head, answering,

"Nah, I won't get tired. I can barely feel you up there." He winks again and your cheeks gain a pink tint as you nod, squeezing his hands and getting yourself more secure above him.

After a few minutes, the teams have been decided. They are Albert and Nico, Nico on Albert's shoulders, Byron and Louis with Louis on Byron's shoulder, Giles and Leo, the latter on Giles' shoulders, and Alyn and Robert, with Robert carrying Alyn on his shoulders.

"Who will go first?" Byron asks.

"We will!" Nico shouts, and Albert reaches up to slap Nico's head lightly.

"No, we won't." He says dryly, but Nico just covers Albert's mouth and shakes his head before letting go.

"Shall we, Giles?" Leo suggests.

Giles nods, holding onto Leo's knees to keep him balanced. You fail to stifle a giggle, knowing that it must be harder to hold up the boys, since they're taller than you. Sid watches as you laugh quietly, grinning up at you, before he leans back against the side of the pool. The others who aren't playing yet get down for the moment, having needed to test their balance before playing. Sid makes no indication for you to get off, instead moving his hands to rub your thighs. It’s awfully relaxing, feeling his fingers press into the flesh firmly, but not so much as to be painful.

Giles and Albert have moved into position now, and Leo smirks at Nico, who smiles back with a determined expression. "You ready to lose, pipsqueak?"

Nico frowns at that, and Albert scowls. "I believe I'm the only one who can call him that, Crawford."

Byron watches this exchange amusedly, then sighs contentedly, saying, "We have already set the rules, so those carrying the upper players cannot fight each other. They must simply keep their partner out of the water. You lose once the upper player is submerged in the water, or about to fall off. No biting, scratching or hair pulling, and no cheating if it can be helped." He rolls his eyes a little as he says the last bit, but he's smiling. "One, two, three, begin."

Albert charges towards Giles immediately, and the latter remains still in the water. Leo is readying himself for attack, you see, while Nico is poised for a strong offensive move. When Albert reaches Giles, Nico immediately reaches out to push Leo. However, Giles dances back, allowing Leo to avoid the move completely. Leo then comes back quickly and shoves Nico, near enough tipping him off straight away.

He manages to pull himself back up before locking arms with Leo, and the two struggle for a few seconds, grunting and trying to knock the other away. Leo soon twists Nico's arms around, then releases one of his own, grabbing Nico's neck and near enough flinging him off Albert's shoulders.

The latter groans and presses his hand to his forehead. As Nico goes under, he stalks off to the other side of the pool, grumbling to himself. You laugh with Sid at this, watching Nico come up and frown, then move to the side.

"Next?" Byron prompts, and Robert steps forward after Alyn pushes himself up. Byron looks to Sid, eyes narrowed, and inclines his head towards the centre of the pool. "Are you going to go now?"

Sid squeezes your thigh in warning, answering dismissively, "No, we'll wait. You guys go first." 

Byron raises an eyebrow, moving his intense stare to you. "Princess, wouldn't you like to go next?"

Going on what Sid's been doing, he's got reasons for postponing your turn. You decide to stick with it. "No, you can go first. We can wait."

Louis seems to be sensing that Sid’s doing this deliberately. His gaze moves between you and the said male, but he says nothing, instead getting onto Byron's shoulders before the latter steps forward.

As they do this, Sid takes your wrist and pulls you forward to be leaned over his head. "I'm waiting as long as possible to play," He explains, voice a murmur. "So that they're more tired when it comes to our turn. We're more likely to win when they've already exhausted their energy. Plus, it’ll mean that they’ll probably be more pissed off, since I’ve got a feeling that Louis might lose this one. I sort of hope so, anyway.”

Eyeing Byron and Louis, he snickers. “And Byron’s pissed that he’s not getting to play against me, since he wants to kick my ass for beating him in the races in college. Just go along with it."

You smile at his forward thinking, nodding. You sit back up and shift yourself on his shoulders, letting your legs dangle in front of you. They’re out of the water, since Sid's so tall, and you feel him massaging your calves absently. It feels nice, you think, mindlessly fixing the bobble holding his hair together and tightening it so it’s out of the way.

Byron and Robert are now stood in front of each other, and they nod as Alyn and Louis get ready for battle. You decide to start the match. "Ready?" They all nod. "Three, two, one, go!"

Alyn, relentless as ever when it comes to fighting, immediately goes for a hard hit at Louis, catching him in the shoulder. He is knocked back a bit but not too much, and he hits back at Alyn, landing a solid blow to his chest. They keep going like this for a few moments, Alyn's moves being predicted by Louis and him avoiding them, but then him being unable to do enough damage to Alyn to knock him off.

It's at this point that Robert moves, not doing anything violent but simply moving in close as Alyn hits out at Louis. The added momentum of his movement to the initial hit takes Louis off guard, and he slips off Byron's shoulders, the latter going under the water with him. 

"Ha! Suck it, Stein!" Alyn laughs out, jumping down from Robert's shoulders and high-fiving him. Robert chuckles at his enthusiasm, offering a small smirk to Byron when he comes out of the water. The latter’s gaze narrows.

Sid laughs darkly at this. "Now, now, Byron. Don't get pissed just because everyone from Stein has lost so far."

Byron's gaze snaps to Sid now, and his voice is a lower growl when he orders, "You are playing. Now."

Sid holds his hands up in surrender, snickering. "Okay, okay. Anything you say."

He walks forward with you, and you tighten your thighs around his neck, tucking your legs under his arms. He moves you a bit to get himself more comfortable, then sends you a confident smirk before looking at Byron. "Who are we playing against?"

"Nico and Albert." Byron responds, definitely seeming a bit miffed. The said boys come into the playing space, but stay a little bit away from you both. You lean down, keeping your eyes on them, to whisper to Sid,

"They're going to charge again. Let's see if we can tip them off balance when they try to knock us down." He nods, hands locking on your thighs again. You ready yourself for the fight, saying openly now, "Don't hold back."

Sid laughs at that. "I don't think they have been. This should be a breeze."

Albert bares his teeth now, and Nico's expression turns dark. Byron stares at you, saying, "One, two, three, begin."

Just like you thought, Albert charges forward again. Sid waits until he gets right up to you to swerve out of the way, and you duck as Nico swings an arm at you. You turn when he is in front of you, reaching out and shoving his back. You see Albert struggle to stay up, but he manages to slow down before turning around again. You smirk and wink at him.

Nico lunges again, managing to catch your shoulder and push you a bit. Used to getting shoved and thrown around for various reasons, you recover almost instantly and plant your hands on the hollow of his throat and chest, pushing back with all your strength. He tips and almost falls but Albert catches him, and you waste no time in shoving him to the side, destroying what little balance he had.

You don't expect him to grab your arm as he goes down, though.

You try to pull yourself from his grip as he goes down with Albert, and even Sid tugs you back, but his grasp is solid. You cry out and let Sid go, not wanting to drag him in with you, and are pulled into the water with Albert and Nico. You gasp in a breath before you go under, then blink until you can see, watching Nico and Albert's faces as they go under. Nico does the same as you with a smug smile, but Albert doesn't need to because of his goggles.

He takes your arm from Nico, a small smile on his own face, before he tugs you into him. He cradles you against his chest before pushing off from the floor, feeling your arms go around his neck, legs wrapping around him for support.

He breaks through the surface and gasps in a breath, watching as you push your hair out of your eyes. You seem quite content in his arms, other than the little pout of your lip, which he guesses is from your loss in the fight.

You make a sound of defeat, dropping your head onto his shoulder.

"We won! Yeah! Suck on that, Sid!"

"Fuck off, kid. You dragged her down."

"It's not against the rules!"

You have been staring at Albert from your position, eyes monitoring his expression as he continues to hold you against him. He would normally have put you down by now, although the way he brought you out of the water was in itself uncharacteristic of him.

He is completely still, you notice, and his eyes are almost pained as he rests his chin on your shoulder. He looks like he's thinking through something very deeply, almost like he's fighting something in his mind. He's holding you tightly, one hand under your thigh and the other on the back of your head, gripping a bit too hard.

"Albert."

Byron's voice cuts through the room, carefully sharp but still soft. Albert's gaze snaps up to him, and he seems to remember where he is. He swallows thickly, frowning a little.

Before you can ask what's wrong, though, arms wrap around your legs, back and stomach, pulling you away from Albert and moving you into someone else's grip. They carry you bridal style, shifting you to have your face in their neck, hiding your view of Albert. You glance up, seeing Robert's face above you, somewhat tense and concerned. He puts on a smile when he sees you looking at him, turning away from Albert.

But you manage to look at him over Robert's shoulder as he takes you to the other end of the pool, and what you see makes your heart feel like it's been split in two.

Albert looks about ready to cry. He takes his goggles off sharply, his eyes vulnerable and scared. He is keeping them on the ground, stone still in the pool, but Byron is in front of him, holding his shoulders and speaking to him lowly.

_What happened? What's wrong with him? Did I do something? I need to ask him, to help-_

As you go to get out of Robert's arms, you are passed up to Giles, who is stood out of the pool on the tile. He sets you on your feet before taking your hand and placing his other on the small of your back, gently but firmly guiding you out of the pool. You keep looking back, wanting to go to Albert and help him, but the way the boys have gotten you out so quickly says that you shouldn't fight them.

You know them well enough to understand that something coordinated like this is serious. You need to trust them.

So, you let Giles lead you out, Robert quickly catching up on your other side and lacing his fingers through yours on your free hand. He squeezes them encouragingly when you turn the corner together, Albert and Byron now out of your line of sight.

You say nothing, and they take you into the door between the changing rooms and the pool. You see that it is a sauna when you get in, with a hot tub at the back. You barely have the capacity to be happy about this in your distressed state, your mind reeling back to Albert at every possible moment.

Alyn, Leo and Louis follow you in and close the door behind them, and you feel somewhat hopeless, knowing that they all probably understand what just happened. You try to stay calm while Giles escorts you to the hot tub, getting in and pulling you with him. You settle into the water, which is hot enough to relax your muscles quickly but not enough to burn you. The others get in quietly, and that's how you know something's up.

You look up at Robert, feeling him put his arm around your waist, holding you against his side. "Robert?" You say, voice small. "What's going on? What's wrong with Albert? What happened?"

His expression shifts into one of sympathy, and you glance around, seeing the others watching you with similar looks. Your heart squeezes uncomfortably, and you can feel yourself getting more panicked. Robert seems to see this; he lifts his other hand, smoothing his fingertips across your cheeks. "It's nothing to worry about, Princess. Nico said that there was something going on that we can't tell you about yet, didn't he?"

You nod, heartbeat stuttering. He leans down to kiss your forehead gently, his hand on your waist rubbing the skin soothingly. "This is part of the same problem, so we can't tell you what it is. We're working through it as fast as we can so that we can explain everything to you, but we can't tell you yet. It's not time, and we're not ready to do it right now. So, we need you to just do your best to trust us on this, because this is truly the only way we can go about it. If there was another option, we would have chosen it in a heartbeat."

They can't tell you. This is really starting to worry you. "I know you can't tell me anything, but is it me? Have I done something?"

A series of laughs sound around the room, almost adoring but not at the same time. Robert breaks into a tender smile as he shakes his head, picking you up and putting you on his knee like an upset child. He kisses the top of your head, taking your hand and rubbing it soothingly, while the other stays on your side.

“Heavens no, ___. You haven't done anything." He brings your hand up to his lips, sighing into your knuckles. "It's... a very complex situation. Honestly, we'll tell you as soon as we have agreed that we can. Until then, though, please just trust us."

You're going to trust them, obviously. You have no right to expect them to tell you anything nor everything, even though they usually do. You need to just wait it out and hope that they can get through it themselves, since it seems like quite a big problem, and one that's taking its toll on them all. From what happened in the living room earlier, and just now, it's something that's hitting them hard.

"I will. Okay." You nod, burying your face in Robert's neck. He lets out a breath, as if he's been holding it, before pulling you close and placing his lips on your hair.

"Thank you." He murmurs to you, his voice as soft as silk, almost a purr.

You all spend a while in the hot tub, mostly in silence, while the boys try and fail to ease the atmosphere. You do your best to cheer up for them, but your nerves have been completely rattled. You feel uneasy and painfully worried, knowing that Albert is upset somewhere, and even if you found him, you wouldn't be able to do anything to help him. It's awful, being helpless. It's not a feeling you get very often, so now that you're experiencing it so strongly, it's near enough eating you from the inside out.

"Hey, ___." Leo says at some point, holding his hand out to you. "Come here. I've got something that I think might cheer you up a little bit."

You frown, confused, but get up nonetheless. You go over to him and let him sit you on his lap, your legs on either side of his as he sits forward. He puts his hands under your arms, on your sides, before he starts to sing, his legs bouncing in a rhythm, "I went to the barber's shop, to get my hair cut off, and when I went there, I sat on the chair and the chair went  _drop_!"

On the last word, he opens his legs a bit, letting you temporarily fall between them. The unexpected drop makes you yelp, but you laugh all the same, some of the tension in your body releasing. He laughs with you and does it a few more times, your own breathy chuckles increasing and turning into giggles when he manages to tickle you on the way down. His laughs are infectious, and although you don't want to stop thinking about the problem, you want the others to feel better. So, maybe being a bit happier will help them, even just a bit. 

He stops after a few minutes, taking hold of your hands to let you lean back into the water. You close your eyes, feeling the warmth surrounding your body and soothing it, rippling around you. When you open your eyes again and sit up, you see Alyn watching you, his face unreadable. You smile, observing him blush and look away.

"Alyn?" You say, letting go of Leo. "Can I have a hug?"

Normally he'd outright say no, but now he stares at you for a few seconds before sighing. He clears his throat, mumbling awkwardly, "Whatever."

You know he's not being like that to be mean; it's just the way he is. You find the will to grin and swim over, towards the seat next to him. He pats the space between his legs under the water, though, and you sit there instead. He wraps his arms around you from behind, pulling you back and against him tightly. Your heart thuds a little faster, body almost melting at the intense heat from both the water and Alyn. His bare chest presses against your back, the muscle easy to feel when you relax into him.

Trying to dismiss these thoughts, you let your face press into the side of his throat as he sighs, resting his cheek on your head. His fingers run through yours over your stomach, and he plays with them as you sit there, crimson eyes focused on them. He is unbelievably warm around you, and you can feel the strength in his arms and chest when his muscles flex periodically, tight like steel. He’s still gentle, though, making sure not to crush you in his grip.

It makes you feel safe, being there. Not just in Alyn's arms, but in the room with the boys. Being on the grounds of Byron's mansion, and in his house, all give you emotions of safety and security. It's like home; it feels right and protected. You're happy here.

And you feel exactly the same when you're alone with each of the boys. 

_But just how far do those feelings go, and are they normal? What do they mean?_

You swallow thickly at these thoughts, your chest squeezing uncomfortably. You hold onto Alyn's hands tighter and push your face into his neck more, heartbeat quickening again. He goes still for a second before bringing you even closer to him, kissing the crown of your head as if to sooth you. It makes your nerves come alive, prickling and sending very strange sensations tingling through your limbs.

You spend quite a while in the hot tub, your worry gradually calming down until you're more settled. The others seem to have relaxed as well, and they also seem quite sleepy. You notice Louis and Leo leaning on each other, eyes half closed.

"Guys," You utter softly, feeling almost exhausted yourself. You wonder if it's the swimming that's wiped you out. "We're all falling asleep. Should we head back?"

They seem to come back around at your words, and Leo yawns deeply as he nods. The others nod as well, slowly standing up and leaving the room. You go to stand up, but Alyn stops you, still holding you in his arms. He scoops you up instead, cradling you against his chest, before he gets up and carefully steps out of the hot tub. He takes his time walking out of the sauna, where the air is much colder and bites at your skin. You shiver, curling in on yourself, and go to ask if you can get your towel.

Before you get the chance, Giles and Robert emerge from the pool room with yours and Alyn's towels, as well as their own. Alyn temporarily holds you away from him so that Robert can wrap you up in yours, and Giles can put Alyn's around his shoulders. When he holds you against him again, you take the ends of his and pull them together, preventing it from falling off him. You are given to Giles for a second, seeing the others putting their shoes on, Giles having already put his on. When Alyn has his on, he holds his arms out again, taking you from Giles once more. You notice that Leo has your gladiators in his hands.

"Alyn, you don't need to carry me..." You protest, grabbing his towel again. Grunting in the back of his throat, he speaks lowly, quiet enough that only you hear.

"It’s fine. I haven’t done it in a while, and the others are getting one on me. You're our Princess." He smiles a bit, teeth flashing briefly. “Besides, it’s good for staying strong. It’s like a workout without actually doing anything.”

You nod with a smile of your own at this, and Giles opens the door to outside at this point, the chilly air blasting in from outside. You grit your teeth, burrowing further into Alyn's chest and pulling the towel tighter around you both.

"Jesus. Was it this cold before?" Alyn hisses, turning around so that his shoulder takes the brunt of the wind.

"Yes. However, we've just gone from an extremely warm environment to a much cooler one, so it feels worse." Giles responds, sounding just as chilled.

Alyn huffs, then starts to jog up the path and into the gardens. He makes his way to the back door, and you press down on the handle, only to find it locked. Alyn groans, and you knock on the glass, not seeing anyone in the living room. You wait for a few seconds before knocking again, hearing the others come up behind you. Nico emerges from the hallway and runs into the living room quickly, now wearing pyjama pants and a t-shirt. He comes over to the door, unlocking and opening it with an apologetic laugh. 

"Sorry, I was in the kitchen. You look wrecked. Was the hot tub too hot?" He lets you all in and closes the door before locking it. He then motions for you to follow upstairs, turning to look back at you all. "You okay, ___?"

"It was extremely relaxing, but we started to fall asleep. It was  _too_  comfortable." Giles replies, and you nod with a small smile.

Nico nods, grinning. "It's great in there, huh?" You are upstairs now. Nico holds his arms out to Alyn. "I'll take her to her room. You go get yourself dry, or have a wash if you want."

Alyn nods, handing you over. You smile your thanks at him and nod, to which he gives you a small smile of his own. He then makes his way to his own room as Nico heads to yours, looking down at you. "So, did you like the pool?"

You nod, smiling wider now. "Yeah, I really loved it. Thank you."

He beams and leans down, touching his forehead against yours briefly. He then enters your room, taking you into the en suite. "Do you want to have a shower?" He asks. You nod, wanting to get washed now, since you can feel your body giving itself over to sleep. "Okay. Well, there are towels in here and you can dry your hair up here or downstairs, if you want to. I should be downstairs, and I think some of the others will be too, or if we’re not we’ll be in the big room."

"Okay. Thank you, Nico." He nods and sits you down on the edge of the bath, then bows with a cheeky smile before slipping out. He closes the en suite door, and then you hear the door to your bedroom being closed as well.

You sigh, forcing yourself into the shower.

Your body feels drained and not yet shaken from the deep rest, and you zombie your way through getting washed. In twenty minutes, you have had a wash, gotten out, dried off and put some clothes on, your hair mostly dry. You get your phone, shaking out and then smoothing down your hair a bit while you plod down the stairs.

When you get downstairs, you see Sid stood over the back of the big couch. He's wearing a pair of pyjama pants but no shirt, and his hair is in a messy ponytail, a little damp against his neck. Your heart flutters, adrenaline rushing through you for a brief moment, at the sight of his prominent muscles and defined figure.

Letting out a breath to calm your body, you come up behind him quietly, so much so that he doesn't hear you, since he’s watching the TV.

You place a hand on his shoulder blade, dropping your head onto his back. He turns around swiftly, before he realises that it’s you and relaxes. He smirks down at your tired face, then tugs you against him, his arms around your waist. Rolling his eyes playfully, he lifts you off the floor. Your own arms circle around his neck, and you breathe in his strong, musky smell, trying to not shiver at the rumbling sound of his voice when he speaks.

"Tired, Princess?" You nod slowly, making him chuckle. "Well, if you can hold out until the guys get ready, they're all up for taking a nap. I don’t reckon it’s going to be a cat nap, though. I think we're all shattered."

You hum in agreement to this, holding onto Sid tighter when he lifts you up by your thighs. He puts them over his hips, letting his head fall into the crook of your neck. "Sid..." You mumble sleepily, hearing him snicker in response.

"Yeah?" You shift yourself up to be more comfortable, asking somewhat weakly,

"Is Albert okay? I'm not asking what happened, I just want to know if he's alright." Sid pulls back at this, and you watch as he presses his forehead against yours, smiling up at you more sincerely.

"Yeah, he's okay. He just wasn't feeling too hot before, so we brought him in and sent him to bed. He's in the big room with Byron, and Nico's just gone to check up on him." He grins up at you now, asking, "Are you getting all worried about him?"

You nod quickly, without hesitation. "Of course I am. I hate that I don't know what's going on and that I can't help him. I feel useless."

His thumbs rub into your thighs at that, his smile vanishing. "You're not useless. Don't ever say that. Trust me when I say it's better for you to be on the outside with this." He pulls you into a hug again, one hand removing itself from your leg to press your head into his shoulder. "I swear, ___, he's okay. You can ask him yourself when he gets up. He just had a moment, but he's fine now."

Your stomach twists with unease, but you force yourself to nod.

Sid stands there for maybe a minute, and then shifts you to be in his arms bridal style. You snuggle into his chest, feeling the solid, warm mass under your hands. He smirks at this, heartbeat seeming to quicken slightly, then leans back against the couch. Another few minutes pass before you hear Giles come downstairs.

"Sid? Is something wrong?" He asks, his tone concerned. He approaches you both swiftly, seemingly worried about you being held by Sid. He swiftly but gently touches your forehead and neck before taking your hand, holding it and feeling for your pulse in your wrist.

"Nah, she's just tired. She's all stressed out because of Al." Sid replies evenly, and you hide your face in his neck. Giles makes a displeased sound in his throat.

"Well, the others are ready and waiting in the big room. Shall we go? I think we're all ready for some rest." You feel Sid nod at this. Giles lets go of your hand, then walks away, towards the stairs. Sid shifts you in his hold, proceeding to carry you up the stairs. You don't understand why you're so exhausted; usually you can swim for five or so hours and still be energetic afterwards, at least for another three or four.

You don't dwell on this, though, as Sid enters a dark room and you hear the door close behind you. You look around sleepily, seeing that you're in the big room, and that the lights are off, the room pitch black. Your eyes adjust to the dark as someone turns on the flash on their phone, allowing you to see the boys laying down on the bed, seemingly ready to sleep.

You see Albert at the top of the bed with Byron next to him, the former covered with a blanket and fast asleep, his glasses off for once. Byron is awake, and he watches you calmly as Sid comes over to the bed. Nico is on his other side, leaning against his shoulder tiredly, and then Robert is laying horizontally in the bed under them.

Louis is next to him, their blankets close enough to overlap one another. Leo and Alyn are at the lower section of the bed, Alyn already half asleep. Leo smiles at you, being the one holding the phone. Giles climbs in and situates himself opposite to Leo, getting in under his own blanket.

"Where do you want to sleep, ___?" Sid asks quietly, moving you in his arms a bit.

"Nnghh..." You struggle to think of a response and instead come out with a half-arsed noise, which makes him snort. "I don't mind..."

He just laughs at that, approaching the side of the bed and knee-walking over until he is in the middle, in the free space. He nods to Leo, who lifts the blankets there up and out of the way, before turning onto his back and laying down. You fall onto the bed next to him, and he pulls you against his chest, warmth radiating from him. His muscles relax around you, your head cradled by the soft pillow.

Leo throws the blanket to Sid, and the latter covers you both over with it. Almost instantly, your eyes fall closed of their own accord. You hear the others getting comfy and under their blankets, with Leo and Alyn arguing over space at the end, and then it is quiet. There is no sound in the room, except for the occasional movement from the boys. The strong, steady beating of Sid's heart thrums under your ear, head laying on his chest.

He rubs your waist gently, chuckling quietly at the feeling of you curling up against him, one of your legs resting against his. His fingers are warm and gentle as they massage your skin, sliding under the material of your shirt to press directly into the tissue.

You don't register anything after that. All you hear is Sid's voice murmuring something in your ear, and feel the tender caress of his hands on your skin, and then you fall into a dream world of memories.

**♡♔♡** **  
**


	4. Part IV | Meeting Alyn, Giles, Leo, Louis and Robert, Voluntary Cuddles and a Film.

**♡♔♡**

_You are in year four of primary school when you first have contact with the boys._

_You sit at your table in the classroom, on your own, completing the times tables you are learning. You frown at your paper, huffing. Your eyes wander around the room._

_It's always like this._

_On the left side of the room, there are groups of other kids who have made friends and then groups, and they stick together at all times. They don't let anyone else in now, and are not the nicest of people at times. They often call out people on the other side of the classroom for being weird, calling them names._

_Because on the right side of the classroom, there is no unity. There are six of you, dotted around the room. There is yourself, sat in the corner. Then, there are two boys called Giles and Robert, who sit on the same table but never speak to each other, more staying together for security._

_Then, there are the two called Leo and Alyn. You overheard one of the teachers talking about them, saying about how their parents died in a fire after a fight with their uncle, and that they are twins, even though they look completely different. They always look so sad and alone, even though they sit close together, never straying from one another for more than a few minutes._

_Finally, there is another boy called Louis, who can be really cold and harsh at times, and doesn't like talking to people very much. He's often targeted by the other kids because of how pretty he is, and it's not unusual for him to be called a doll._

_You drop your head onto your arms, frown deepening. It's been like this for years, and you're sick of it. You're near certain that everyone on the right side isn't happy being alone, and you want to change it. The teachers have always encouraged you all to mix and talk to each other, but none of you have ever tried._

_But in this moment, you're filled with determination. Your young mind decides that you want to stop these kids from being alone, from suffering in silence._

_You nod to yourself, inhaling, and stand up. You decide to try with Giles and Robert, since they seem like the friendliest of the five. The left side of the room takes no notice of you as you stand, but you see Louis glance up at you, and the twins stiffen slightly, watching you warily. Robert and Giles are unreadable for the most part, but you are certain you see some curiosity in Robert's eyes._

_You go over to their table, greeting somewhat nervously, "Hi."_

_They both stare at you for a few seconds, and then Giles smiles kindly, replying, "Hello."_

_Robert nods, smiling just as pleasantly. "Hello."_

_This is going well. You nod inwardly, then steel yourself as you try to word what you're trying to say as best as you can. "Um... I know this might sound weird, but... well, everyone on this side of the room seems kind of unhappy, and no one really speaks to anyone, and I was wondering if you'd mind if I sat here. If you don't want me to, I understand, I just-"_

_Giles stops you there, laughing softly with a nod. He looks to Robert, who nods back with a small grin. Giles turns back to you, pulling out the seat next to him. "We don't mind at all. We're rather lonely ourselves, so we're glad that you want to talk to us. Thank you."_

_Your heart leaps at that, and you beam, sitting down. "Thank you."_

_You glance over at the twins, seeing Alyn staring at their table with a blank expression, eyes dull. Leo looks just as miserable as he writes the times tables out on both of their sheets, Alyn apparently not interested in completing them. You then look at Louis, seeing him staring down at his own paper, but his gaze is far away. His eyes are pained, like he's struggling with something on the inside. Your heart twists for him, desperately wanting to help._

_Giles speaks again, drawing your attention back to him. "Your name is ___, isn't it?" You focus on him, nodding with a smile. He grins gently. "It's a beautiful name." He tilts his head slightly, a curious glint passing through his eyes again. "So, what made you decide to sit here today?"_

_You answer honestly, unable to think of a reason to hide your motives. "I was fed up of seeing everyone so unhappy on this side of the room, since I've hated it for ages, and I just decided to go for it just now." Your eyes soften, and you shrug a bit. "I just want all of us to have someone to talk to, to have people we know we can trust. I want to make a group, bringing together the people who have no one in school to have others they can be friends with and rely on."_

_He looks more than satisfied at this, grinning and nodding. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."_

_"Indeed it does." Robert agrees, glancing over at the twins. "Although if you're serious about it, I think it may be difficult." He leans closer to you across the table, speaking quietly. "They don't let anyone get close, so I'm not sure how you would be able to work your way into their bubble."_

_You consider that for a moment. Your gaze is still soft, but it becomes more determined as you watch the twins. Alyn clenches his fists and drops his head onto his arms. Leo's face contorts with pain for a moment, like he's feeling exactly what Alyn is, before he puts a hand on his twin's shoulder and rubs it for a second. Alyn quickly shrugs it off, not looking up, and Leo's pain seems to worsen considerably._

_You've made your decision._

_"I don't care what I have to do." You nod, your voice strong and clear. "I'm going to help them. I'm not letting anyone else be alone anymore."_ __

**♡♔♡**

_The next few months are spent by yourself, Giles and Robert planning how to get Leo and Alyn to trust you, and how to get Louis to consider talking to you._

****_You sigh at the cafeteria table, then groan into your hands. "This is so hard. I can't get close to them, or even get a chance to talk to them."_

_Robert smiles as he drops a hand onto your back, massaging circles into it soothingly before taking your own hand and squeezing it. They started doing things like this some time ago, when you made it clear that you are fine with contact and rather enjoy hugs from them, and now it's completely normal for you three. "Don't worry, ___. We'll find a way."_

_You just nod, hoping he's right. You drop your free hand and look up at the clock, remembering that you need to put your workbook in your locker. You pick up your bag, smiling at the two as they watch you stand, still eating their dinner. "I'm just going to put my workbook in my locker. I'll only be a few minutes; you guys stay and eat."_

_Giles frowns slightly at that, worry clouding his expression. "Are you sure? You don't want one of us to come with you?"_

_You have to laugh at how concerned they get, and how protective they've quickly become of you. You love it, though. It's so nice compared to being alone. "I'm sure. I'll be back in a sec."_

_You then lift your hand in a wave as you exit the cafeteria, walking down the mostly empty corridor to the lockers._

_You are halfway there when you hear a gasp, one that sounds pained, along with a loud slam and then a cry._

_Almost instantly, you are jogging down the corridor, following where the sound came from. Your father, working in a serious organisation you're not very informed about yet, always tells you to help people when they need it if you can, and to defend others if they can't do it themselves. He's taught you more self-defence training than the school will ever offer already, and you know you can fight pretty damn well._

_You round the corner, finding yourself in the hallway that has a door to the inner courtyard. The door is open, and the corridor is empty bar four people, stood inside it near one of the windows._

_Your pupils widen, seeing that Louis is being pinned up against the wall by three other boys, his hands restrained while the boy in the middle holds him by his throat._

_"What are you gonna do, pretty boy? Huh? You can't fight us. You're nothing but a little doll. You're useless and weak. You can't do anything. You can't even talk back to me right now." The centre boy taunts, tightening his grip on Louis' neck. The blond chokes and struggles, but he can't move out of their grip, and the boy just slams his head against the wall with a laugh._

_You lose it at this point. Everything goes red._

_"Hey!" You snap, making your way to them quickly. "Get the hell away from him, now. Hurt him again and I'm going to make you sorry you were born."_

_It's pretty safe to say you're a bit too mature for your age. That goes for Giles and Robert, too._ __

_The boy scowls at you, scoffing. "What are you, his girlfriend? Go away, or I'll hurt you too."_

_You don't stop in your approach, dropping your bag onto the floor. Your already intense glare becomes lethal. "I won't repeat myself. Leave."_

_He rolls his eyes, looking to the boy on Louis' right. "Do me a favour, shut her up. She's in the way."_

_Your lips curl back slightly with rage. Now you've got an excuse to beat the shit out of him._

_The boy grins, letting go of one of Louis' hands as he turns on you. He grabs at you, trying to take hold of your arm, but you jump back and out of the way before he can. He growls and then throws a punch at your face, but you duck, taking this as a valid moment for some self-defence._

_Before he has fully rotated with his punch, you send your own fist into his rib, gripping his arm as it goes over your head and kicking one of his legs out from under him. He hits the floor hard, and you give him another kick in the side, silently daring him with your eyes to get up. He holds his side as he lies there, tears now in his own eyes as he watches you fearfully._

_You lift your gaze to the other two, expression unamused. "Next?"_

_The other accomplice immediately bolts, sprinting it down the corridor and out of sight within seconds. Your glare snaps to the main boy, who seems to lose all of his confidence instantly. He shakes his head, then follows his friend's actions, running away and down the hall._

_You'll report them later. Now, you need to take care of Louis._

_You crouch down in front of him as he slides down the wall to sit against it, noticing sadly that he flinches when you do. "Hey, sorry about that. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You can trust me, Louis - I just want to help you."_

_He seems suspicious and like he's going to snap at you for a second, but then he pauses, looking into your eyes for a moment. You smile at him, relaxing and pulling your body in to seem as non-threatening as possible. He swallows, looks to the side, and then gasps quietly. His hand flies to his rib, face contorting with pain. Your smile fades, and you steel yourself, asking, "Louis, what did they do? Did they just hurt your side? Or did they injure you anywhere else, too?"_

_He scowls coldly, dropping his gaze to his knees. Your heart feels like it shatters upon seeing his beautiful eyes start to fill with tears, and your determination to help him is bolstered all the more. "They hurt my head, and they punched me in the chest." He seems to snap all of a sudden, glaring at you and positioning himself defensively. "I don't need your help. This happens all the time. Just go away."_

_You shake your head, not even considering the idea. "No. Now, let me help you. I'm not going to give up, nor am I going to leave you. I'm taking you to the nurse, and then I'm going to introduce you to our group. No ifs or buts about this."_

_Before he can even try to protest, you take his arms, slowly heaving him to his feet. He yelps, bending over and pulling an arm loose to hold his chest. You wince, then quickly get your bag, along with his next to him, before returning to him. You put his free arm over your shoulder, supporting him with your body. He tries to squirm away from you, struggling and shoving you weakly. You don't let him._

_It's a short walk to the nurse, and she gapes when you come in. "Oh no, what happened? Louis? What's wrong?"_

_She pulls Louis over to one of the long chairs while she asks this, laying him down. He just winces, keeping his chest protected with his arms. He diverts his gaze, staying quiet, and you make a point of staring at him until he looks at you. You raise an eyebrow, forcing your will on him in an attempt to get him to tell the truth._

_"I..." Resistance flashes through his eyes for a moment, like he's going to lie, but your warning look as you cross your arms stops him. He looks down again, scoffing. "Some boys in the year hurt me."_

_The nurse shakes her head, quickly checking him over for obvious bruising. She pauses when she looks over his head, and it's only now that you notice the small spot of blood in his hair, apparently from when they slammed his head into the wall. As the nurse starts to gather things to treat Louis with, you speak, ignoring his glare._

_"They punched him in the chest too. I think they might have bruised his ribs or at least hurt them." He avoids looking at you now. You sigh, sitting down next to his chair._

_Well, it's a start. Not a pleasant one, but it's a start._

**♡♔♡**

_Three weeks later, you managed to get Louis into the group, and the bullies who came after him haven't dared to so much as look at him._

_That happened with some reporting and a glare every now and then, but that doesn't matter..._

_Louis is still extremely timid, of course, and also very quiet, but he's slowly opening up. He will sit a bit away from you, Robert and Giles, but he'll always walk near you in the corridors, shifting closer when he sees someone that would normally bully him. You make sure to comfort him and tell him that he's safe now, that you won't let anyone hurt him anymore._

_It's now that you finally manage to speak to the twins._

_You are in the library, looking for another book to read. All of a sudden, the doors to them open with a somewhat loud bang, making you glance over. You watch, pupils expanding, as Leo and Alyn stumble in, their breathing quick and panicked. Leo seems to be using his body to hide Alyn, who almost looks ready to pass out, his cheeks worryingly pale. The only thing to stop him from looking completely sick are his laboured pants. Leo looks the same, although much more tired and worn out than his twin._

_The librarian looks up in surprise at the entry, chiding, "Boys, be careful, please. Try to be quiet in here."_

_Leo nods, his mouth twitching as if in an attempt to smile, but it fades in seconds. He holds Alyn's elbow while he all but drags him through the room, always as close to him as he can. Shielding. Protecting. It's only now, when they both go past you, that you spot what looks like blood on Leo's hand around Alyn's arm, and the smear of it on Leo's cheek._

_You're going to find out what happened._

_You wait until they've both gone around the corner to the mostly unused section of the library, and until everyone else has forgotten about them, before picking out a random book and making your way around as well._

_You stop in your tracks as you come into view of them at one of the tables._

_Leo is talking quietly, in a somewhat panicked rush, fumbling with what looks like a tissue. He shakes his head, holding Alyn's arm and pulling it forward. You see a gash in it, relatively deep and long. It's bleeding quite badly, and you can see a bruise forming on Alyn's cheek as he heaves in breaths, throat hissing._

_Leo whips around, his arm flying out to be held in front of Alyn. His scarlet eyes centre on you. He stills, seeming to go blank and not know what to say. The panic in his face becomes almost painful._

_You quickly put your bag down, speaking before he can tell you to leave. "Let me help. I've got more tissues with me, and you need to clean that wound properly. I know you don't trust me, even though I really want you to because I'm desperate to help, but please, for Alyn's sake, let me."_

_He stares at you for a moment more, looking torn. You step forward. "Please."_

_He can't hold your gaze any longer. He glances at Alyn, who seems too exhausted to even be computing what's going on. He then nods._

_You immediately click into go-mode. You get the tissues from your bag, along with your bottle of water, before standing and pulling a chair over to sit next to Alyn. He seems to wake up at this point, jerking back from you, and you pause for a second. "Alyn, I'm here to help you. I promise, I'm not going to hurt either of you. I want to make sure your wound is cleaned properly, and help to stop this from happening. Just try to relax. Please."_

_Not wanting to give him more time to fight you, you put a few drops of water onto one of the tissues, then pull his sleeve over his upper arm to fully expose the wound. You quickly swipe at it, holding onto him tighter when he hisses, grabbing your wrist and digging his nails in._

_"Hey, get the hell off-" He starts to shout, but Leo restrains his hand, telling him gently,_

_"Alyn, just let her help. You can bear with this." You keep working as Alyn stares at Leo, then shakes his head and looks away. The wound is clean now, although not disinfected, and you press a few more of the tissues to it to stem the bleeding. Leo passes you a large plaster, presumably having gotten it from his bag, and you take it with a nod._

_When the bleeding has nearly stopped, you wipe the wound again, then put the plaster on before sitting back. "You need to disinfect it when you can, but that should be clean enough for now. However, it's deep, so you'll probably need to see a doctor or something about it."_

_You glance at Leo while you say this, seeing him make a face. You raise an eyebrow, which makes him nod. "Yeah, okay."_

_You get all of the rubbish together, shaking your head. "So, what happened?"_

_They're both silent. You frown, staring at Leo as you lean forward. "Leo."_

_He glances up at you, his expression stuck between guilty and defiant. You purse your lips, then reach out to very gently rest your fingers atop his hand for a few seconds. His skin is so cold, and with the shadows under his eyes and his now completely pale complexion, you're certain he's sick with something._

_"You two have always been alone, and I want to stop that. You're not happy, and you need someone to be able to trust. Our group, with me, Giles, Robert and Louis, was made for people who are alone. I know you have each other, but whatever is going on, you shouldn't be fighting it by yourselves. We can help. You just need to trust us, and let us in."_

_Leo spends a long few seconds staring at you, and then he looks at Alyn. The latter is scowling deeply and shakes his head, but Leo only frowns, looking down at the table. You bite your lip, waiting for his answer, waiting for him to shut you out._

_But it never comes._

_Instead, he just meets your eyes again, nodding once._

_"Okay."_

**♡♔♡**

_Time has passed again. The group is complete._

_But how you came to meet Byron, Nico, Albert and Sid is another story._

_You all sit around your table in the cafeteria, eating dinner while you chat idly and joke with each other. You're in year ten now, and you're all either fourteen or fifteen, with the exception of Sid, who turned sixteen last month. How this happened isn’t important for now._

_You laugh when he makes a comment about one of the less pleasant teachers, watching him go past. "Come to think of it, those pants do look strange."_

_He snickers. "Strange? They look like they're made of latex."_

_You are about to reply when your attention is drawn away by a cough, from Giles on your left. You immediately look at him, becoming concerned._

_"Giles?" You say, staring at him. You notice that his face is drawn and clammy, his skin flushed, while there are dark shadows under his eyes. You quickly take his hand, feeling heat radiating from him. He’s been completely fine all day. "Giles! Jesus, you're burning! Are you sick? Do you need to go to the nurse?"_

_His gaze has been faraway and downcast while has been stopping his coughing, but now he looks up at you with a strained smile. "No, no. I'm fine, I'm just a little warm." He lifts your hand up, pressing a kiss to it before lowering it again. It's so normal for you that you don't even notice the looks you get for it from people outside the group._

_You don't believe him one bit. "Giles, this isn't just warm. You look ill. What's wrong?"_

_His face falls at that, and he sighs heavily. "It's nothing, ___. I assure you, it's nothing to worry about." He releases your hand as he stands up, and you notice that he sways slightly on his feet. He picks up his bag, giving you a weak smile. "I must go and take care of something. I will see you in French."_

_You are stunned into silence as he leaves quickly, making his way through the cafeteria and down the corridor. You gape for a moment, brain malfunctioning. The others are watching you, trying to understand what just happened._

_Your mind catches up, putting two and two together._

_"Bullshit." You snap, standing up and swiping your own bag. "He's not fine. Something's wrong."_

_Without giving any more warning, you take off, following Giles' path out of the cafeteria. You move quickly as you go down the corridor, listening for his steps. The hallways are quiet at lunch, so you hear him down the next corridor quite easily, especially when he starts to cough violently._

_You were right. He's sick._ _You are almost running by the time you round the corridor, heart thudding in your chest with worry_

_It drops, practically breaking as it hits the floor, when you spot Giles. He is still coughing, and now he falls against the wall, trembling badly. You gasp out his name, watching him fail to stay upright, sliding down to the ground with a hand clutching his heart._

_"Giles! Oh my God, Giles..." You shout, now sprinting over. You drop your bag carelessly, then crouch next to him. Taking his face in your hands, you can feel it pouring with heat. Proceeding to press your fingers to his pulse point gently, you feel his heartbeat racing, fluttering against your fingers too fast._

_"Giles, what is this? Do you have a cold? This doesn't just seem like a standard cold. Flu?" He doesn't respond, eyes sliding closed instead. Panic bursting in your chest, you lean in close to him, brushing your thumbs over his cheekbones. "Giles, answer me right now! Don't go shutting me out now, not when we've been through so much over the years. Of all the times, why stop talking to me now?"_

_His eyes open again, and you freeze. The usually calm, beautiful orbs are now full of tears, and his throat is thick when he speaks. "Princess..." He murmurs, tone sad. Your chest squeezes painfully at his use of their nickname for you. "I'm not... I'm not shutting you out. I'm just..." He looks to the side, and you turn as you hear more footsteps down the hall. "This just isn't worth worrying about."_

_Your mind whirls with confusion. The others come around the corner, immediately converging on you both. Byron is the first to start asking questions, trying to make a diagnosis, when he crouches on Giles' other side and feels his forehead. "What are his symptoms? Is his pulse normal?"_

_"His pulse is pretty fast. He's really warm, shaking, coughing violently and seemed weak or dizzy just before." You respond, not taking your eyes from Giles', instead watching his pupils. You pull your phone out without looking away, then turn on the light before moving it in front of his face. He squints, making a face, but you see his pupils contracting quickly._

_You nod, putting your phone away after turning the light off. "Giles? Please tell me what this is. I can't help if you don't tell me what's going on."_

_He lets out a shaky sigh, then goes to answer, but his voice cracks. He stops himself, proceeding to motion for you to come closer. You lean into him, putting your ear next to his mouth. He moves over a bit, his breath very warm and ticklish on your skin, and his voice is very soft when he utters, "I'm sorry... I have a condition. An illness, I mean. This is just an episode. I didn't want to trouble any of you with it."_

_For a second, you feel a lot of things. Sorrow, betrayal, a lack of trust, frustration, worry. But it all comes together in an angry, painfully concerned shout, your body jerking back so you can look him in the eye._

_"Giles, why the hell didn't you tell us? We tell each other everything in here, and you thought that it was okay to keep something like this, something potentially dangerous to your health, a secret?"_

_You poke him in the chest rather than smacking him like you normally would, then lean forward to pull him into your arms and embrace his upper body. You feel him slump against you, his lips at your throat. You turn to the others. "He's got a condition of some sort, apparently one he's had for a while. This is an episode, but he never told us since he didn't want to "trouble any of us" with it."_

_There is a beat of silence._

_"Giles, you're a moron." Sid breaks the quiet, his voice almost exasperated._

_"Let's not do this now." Byron changes the topic, placing a hand on your shoulder. "We should take him to the nurse. He can't remain here while he is like this. He needs to rest at least, if he doesn't go home."_

_You nod at that. "Okay."_

_You help Byron to stand Giles up, and the others hover closely, ready to catch him should he fall. Byron puts one of Giles' arms over his shoulder, and Sid does the same on the other side, supporting his body. He sags between them, but they keep him up, starting to walk to the nurse. Robert picks up yours and Giles' bags. The others do the same with their own, and you hurry to open the doors for Sid and Byron while they make their way through the corridors._

_Within minutes, you are all inside, and Giles is lain down on one of the beds. The nurse tells him to take his jacket off, since he's running a fever, before getting him some cold water and tablets. You perch on the bed next to him, helping him to sit up and take the tablets, and then lie him back down again when he's done. He tells the nurse of the illness, and she starts to check his vitals before pottering around the room._

_The others sit around the room, since the beds are all currently empty. You sigh softly, eyes focused on his face. His hand closes around yours, warm and clammy again, which makes you even more worried. You squeeze it gently, reaching up to brush his hair back with your free hand._

_"You fool." You mumble. "You should have told us. We tell each other everything. Nothing is too small, you know that, and at least someone in the group needs to know about things like this. You could have gotten hurt, Giles."_

_He smiles weakly, his thumb rubbing your knuckles shakily. "I know. I think I was just afraid. Perhaps, in the back of my mind, I thought that you wouldn't want to deal with someone who has an illness like this."_

_You shake your head straight away, chiding him, "Never. You know we don’t mind at all, Giles. Don't you dare say something like that." You lean down, kissing his burning forehead gently. "We love you for who you are, regardless of whether you're sick or not, or you're always like this or just have episodes. It doesn't change a thing."_

_His smile becomes stronger at this, and his eyes light up. "Thank you, Princess. I'm glad."_

_You just smile back, and it's like the whole room brightens in an instant. "You're welcome, Giles. You're not getting away from us now."_

**♡♔♡**

You come around again, after what feels like only a little while, to a soft voice whispering into your ear. You struggle to bring yourself out of sleep, your body not yet awake, but quickly become more alert when you feel pressure in your chest. You hear a small, whimpering sound escape your throat, and this causes your body to shake itself out of sleep enough for you to open your eyes. 

Your vision slowly adjusts as you look around, seeing that you're still in the big room. The lights are on a low, dim setting that gives it a soft, calm feeling. You squint a little at the sudden brightness, then see a shadow move in front of you, blocking out the glare.

"___, Princess? You okay?" Leo's voice snaps you out of it, and you focus on him. He is kneeling in front of you, one of his hands cupping your cheek gently. He seems relieved when you blink up at him, sighing out, "Thank God. I was about to have a heart attack."

You frown at this, your brain not quite understanding what's going on. "What's wrong? What happened?"

A sudden shift in the warmth around you draws your attention away, and you glance behind you. Sid is lying on his side, your body cradled protectively against his. His hand rests on your arm, rubbing the skin soothingly. "Nothing happened, Princess. You were making noises and seemed like you were having a nightmare, so we thought we'd wake you up."

Your mind takes a moment to register this, and then the flood of dream memories comes back, and you understand why you were making the noises. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

A snort from Sid and a bout of quiet laughter from Leo sends you into confusion again, and you see the latter shake his head. He slips under your blanket, coming to lay in front of you with his head propped up on one hand. "You're precious. You didn't wake us up; we were already up and just laying here. Some of the others have already gotten up, so it's fine. You worry far too much."

He gives you a heart-breaking smile, lifting his hand up again to brush his thumb over your cheek, slowly making a trail down to your lips. He runs his thumb over the lower lip for a second, shivers wracking your spine at the feather-light touch. He grins, chuckling out, "Besides, do you really think I'd be bothered if you woke me up because of a nightmare? I've kept you up for hours on end countless times with it. It's not a problem - I'd rather wake you up than leave you in there."

You frown again at that, responding, "That's different."

He shakes his head once more, brushing a lock of hair behind your ear absently. "It's not, ___. You deserve the exact same care that you give to me when I get them."

A displeased sound makes its way out of your mouth, and Sid leans down, breathing into your hair, "What was the nightmare?"

You still at that, somewhat unwilling to tell them. It's not important, and not like it was that bad. "It doesn't matter. It was nothing."

Barely a second passes after you say this, and then Sid has wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you onto your back underneath him. You stare up at him, wide-eyed, as he leans down to rest his forehead against yours. His eyes stare into yours intensely, his warm breath floating over your skin as he speaks. "Don't start with this again, ___. Your problems are our problems, no matter how small they are. What was it?"

You swallow, feeling Leo watching you just as closely from the side. Knowing that he’s watching, and that Sid’s so close, sends a bolt of adrenaline through your veins, your heart beating a bit faster. "It was..." You clear your throat, averting your gaze. "It wasn't a nightmare as such. It was just... memories, not very pleasant ones. Things like when Louis, and Leo and Alyn were attacked, and Giles was really sick. I guess my brain decided to remember everything all at once."

Pain flashes through Leo's eyes when he hears this. You quickly sit up, moving around Sid, to smile at him and squeeze his hand. "It's okay, honestly. It's not very often I get bad dreams or nightmares."

He frowns at that, his lips twisting. "I don't want you to be suffering with them."

Sid sighs now, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. "Me neither."

You shake your head, reaching out to take Sid's free hand as well. "I know, but you can't stop them. They're not doing any damage, so don't worry - I can handle them."  You laugh lightly, trying to get them to stop worrying. "I'm a big girl, you know. I can fight them off. I've done it before."

Leo manages to grin a bit at that, nodding. "I know."

You are all distracted by a groan, followed by a huff, to your left. You look to the side, seeing Alyn rolling over in his sleep, stretching his arm out as his fingers grab at something you can't see. Leo picks up what looks like a remote from the floor and turns the lights down to the point of almost being off, so that it won't wake anyone up but allows you to see the room, albeit not very well.

"___..." Alyn breathes in his sleep, his voice softer and more tender than usual. You feel blood rushing to your skin at the sound. Your hand moves up to your mouth, palm pressed against your lips while your fingers cover half of your cheek. Leo and Sid start to laugh quietly, eyeing Alyn’s unconscious form. You watch the russet-haired boy throw his head to the side, a small scowl forming on his face even in sleep. "Princess..."

"What do you reckon he's dreaming about?" Sid almost giggles out, making Leo burst into round of laughter, quickly muffling them with his hand. You ignore Sid's words and the thoughts they bring, leaning over Alyn to make sure he's okay.

"Alyn, it's okay. Sssh, I'm here." You murmur gently, very gingerly brushing a strand of his hair out of his eyes. He mumbles something in his sleep, but you can't work out what it is. 

You tilt your head to the side, then freeze. His eyes open ever so slightly.

Before you can even move away, his arm has shot out, snagging your wrist and tugging you over his body. You land on his other side on the bed with a squeak, then stifle a yelp when his arm throws itself over your waist, securing you against him. His warm chest envelops your smaller frame.

You can hear Leo in hysterics behind you, and the only thing that stops you from giving him the finger is Alyn, as he tightens his grip on your middle and rests his head against yours, his lips brushing over your ear. Your blush worsens at this, and your insides scream when his hand places itself on your stomach, his rhythmic breaths wafting over your cheek. His movements lessen, and after a few moments, he settles again.

"Oh my fuck. I'm never letting him live this down." Leo wheezes out, still laughing, before he picks his phone up from the floor and takes a picture. You hide your face with your hands when he does, but Alyn remains asleep. Near enough every inch of his body is pressed against yours, but he remains unaware of what's going on around him. "This is going on snapchat."

You nearly fly up at that, but Alyn tightens his grip on you and forces you back into his arms when you try to move. "Leo, don't you dare!"

He chuckles, shaking his head and wiping his eyes. "I know, I know. I'm kidding. I wouldn't put anything like that anywhere that the pricks from college could see it."

You hear movement from the top of the bed at this point, followed by a groggy voice. "Leo, Sid? What's going on?"

You internally groan. It's Nico; he's never going to shut up about this either. You desperately reach across the bed for one of the unused blankets, pulling it over you and covering your face. It makes you almost uncomfortably warm, with the molten heat radiating from Alyn along with the humid room itself, but you stay like that, wanting to avoid having more pictures taken.

"Alyn pretty much made ___ a teddy bear, and we were laughing because he's never living this down." Sid answers quietly, and you hear Nico slowly plodding across the bed. You bury your face in your hands again, even under the cover, as he comes up close. You guess that he's hovering over you for a moment, and then he pulls the blanket back a bit, looking at you and taking in your embarrassed, hidden state.

And then he is letting out tinkling peals of laughter, cooing, "Aw, you're so cute, Princess! Why are you hiding your face? I want to see it!"

You shake your head as much as you can, pressing your covered face into the pillow. He giggles, then moves away for a moment. You hear whispering, but you can't make out any words. After a few moments, there is movement again and you drag the blanket over you once more, hiding your face with a huff. Alyn seems to feel the movement in his sleep, and he shifts so that his other arm is under your neck, creating a rest for you. His free hand drifts down to settle on your hip.

Your skin is burning. You've hugged him before, sure, but you've never been with him like this.

"Stop wriggling." Alyn mumbles in your ear, sounding just as gruff as he does when he’s awake. You freeze, thinking that he's coming around. You turn around to look at him, but his eyes are closed and his expression is relaxed once more. You watch as he moves his head to be in the crook of your neck, breathing in deeply. "Beautiful..."

Your heart stutters. Your chest squeezes around it, and you stop breathing for a moment. Flashes of the incidents earlier come back to you, and a swell of unease rises in your throat again. 

_What's happening to us?_

You press your face into his arm, trying to make yourself disappear. You hear Nico move back over again, and then you hear the cap from something being removed, like a pen lid. You look around, going stone still as Nico starts to draw a cat nose and whiskers on Alyn's face. 

"Nico!" You whisper-shout, shaking your head. "He'll kill you!"

He just grins, writing something on Alyn's cheek in somewhat large writing before capping the pen. "Nope." He then slides away from you both, chucking the pen at you playfully. "He'll kill you."

You catch the pen, and then immediately launch it to the other side of the room, just as Nico giggles and jabs Alyn in the ribs. You hold your breath and close your eyes, pretending to be asleep so he won't consider you to be the suspect. He groans, squirming about and bumping into you in the process. You have to bite your lip as his hips push against you, practically feeling your face go red in a blush. Nico pokes his side again, and Alyn tenses up behind you.

For a second, he's silent, but you know he's awake.

You keep your breathing steady and deep as you lie there, leaning on his arm and curled against him. He lets out a breath, makes a sound of confusion, and then there is a sharp movement. You guess he's looking around to see who else is awake. 

"What the fuck? What are you laughing at?" He snaps, apparently at Nico, as the said boy bursts into giggles behind you. "You little shit. What did you do?"

"Nothing, nothing! Question is, what did  _you_  do?" He must have pointed to you, since you feel Alyn's body shift and then hear his breathing close to your head. You keep your body as relaxed as possible, eyes closed and expression blank. He makes another noise, then growls out,

"I didn't do jack shit! You did something, didn't you? You put her here!" The thought of the cat whiskers almost makes you smile.

You manage to hold it back, though, while you move, as if you're just shifting in your sleep. You feel Alyn's muscles in his arm lock up, then tremble a little when you deliberately roll over to face him, using him as a shield from the others. Nico's laughter cuts off, apparently seeing what you’re doing. Sid snorts from the other side of the bed.

"She's awake! She's not asleep!" Nico whines out. "And I didn't do anything!"

Alyn snarls at him. A second later, you feel his fingers press against your pulse point very lightly. Your heart jumps a little, but you force yourself to stay still, consciously keeping your breathing slow while he feels for your heartbeat. "She's asleep."

"No she isn't!" This quickly evolves into a full-scale shouting war, and you hear the sounds of those who were still sleeping as they are roused by it. You wait for a few minutes as they try to understand what's happening and stop the insults being thrown between Nico and Alyn.

"Shut up, shorty!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Make me!"

"Come here and I will!"

"What, can't you come over here? Or will you get old before you make it here with your tiny legs?"

Things start to escalate, and the volume of the shouting is starting to become a little uncomfortable. Knowing that they're likely to stop if you're unhappy, you frown and rub your head into the pillow, bringing a hand up to your ear. As Nico goes to retort something at Alyn, you let out a noise of discomfort, deliberately moving against Alyn's arm to draw his attention.

"Shut up, Nico! You're waking her up!"

"She's not sleeping!"

"Not anymore, dipshit! Be quiet!"

You hear grumbling from Nico's location, something about you being evil and Alyn being wrapped around your finger. It's then that the lights come on, brighter than before, and several shouts of protest sound around the room.

After a few seconds, there is a beat of deathly silence.

The room erupts into howls of laughter.

"Oh my God! Alyn, your face!" Leo all but screams.

"You suit being a cat, Alyn!" Nico chirps, apparently having turned smug from the positive reaction to his ‘art’.

"Kawaii? Oh my word. Whoever did this should say their prayers." Giles' voice comments from your right, very much amused and sounding only a little bit away from laughter.

"Wha-" Alyn cuts himself off for a moment, and then he pulls his arm from under your head, moving forward. "Leo, give me your phone."

There is a brief protest from the older Crawford, followed by a smack and a whine. It's quiet for a few minutes, and then Alyn's voice booms through the room.

"Motherfucker! Who did it?" 

"Run, Nico."

"Sid!"

"Nico! Get back here, you little bastard!"

You hear Nico get up and run out of the room quickly, followed by Alyn. There are a series of screams and yells through the house, and then they fade away, apparently too far to be heard in the room.

Silence. 

"Princess, please tell me you're awake." Sid says, and you can practically feel his smirk boring into you from the side. You don't respond, instead feigning sleep once more just to mess with the guys a little. There is a shuffle of movement, and then Sid's voice sounds again, right in front of your face. "Oi, don't tell me you fell asleep that quick. That's not possible."

Nothing. You keep your face in the pillow, fighting back a widening smile, and stay where you are. Sid pulls back with a disgruntled huff, muttering, "I think she might actually be asleep. I doubt it, but if she isn't, she's definitely acting like it."

The smile surfaces.

"She's not asleep." Leo replies, jumping over to where you are and hovering over you. "She's just pretending. Aren't you, Princess?"

You ignore this, enjoying the confusion you're making them feel. It's then that Giles speaks, asking, "Can someone explain what just happened? I'm afraid I woke up halfway through Nico and Alyn's fighting."

"Leo and I were up and ___ was having a nightmare, so we woke her up and were talking to her. Alyn started rolling around and ended up basically dragging her over to be a teddy bear, and while she was sort of stuck, we were laughing so hard that Nico woke up. He drew the cat face on Alyn and wrote kawaii, then woke Alyn up with the intention of making him think ___ did it. I elected to expose Nico for his scheming self instead, and Princess over here is being the little minx that she is and is pretending to be asleep."

Sid spitfires this in a rush, then heaves in a breath when he's done. The others take a moment to process it. Louis speaks first. "So, is she asleep?"

"I don't think so, but she's not moving." Leo responds, leaning down to rest his face in front of yours, your foreheads touching. "Maybe she did fall back asleep, but I have a feeling she's just messing with us."

He then strokes your cheek, moving his lips down to be inches away from yours. It is virtually impossible to stay still now, as your heart pounds in your chest and your nerves tingle with anticipation. "Maybe if I kiss the princess, she'll wake up."

There are suddenly several loud, sharp shouts from around the room, telling Leo to stop. Your mind blanks, surprised by the instant protest from the others, and the way they sound almost angry as they do.

At the same time, the urge to stop Leo, or maybe not, is very strong. You will yourself to remain in the same position, no hint of thought or emotion on your face. You still want to mess with them a bit. Leo sighs, pulling back. "I'm joking, guys. Calm down. You know I wouldn't." You can practically feel him shaking his head. "You can't be asleep. Come on."

"If she is asleep, we are being extremely rude. We should leave her in peace." Robert suggests from the side.

"Bullshit. She's awake, and she's probably laughing in her head." Sid grumbles. He leans over you, saying somewhat annoyedly, "If you're fucking around with us, I don't know whether I'll kill you or clap you on the back for persistence."

You decide to stop, thinking that you’ve messed with them enough. You start to stretch, deliberately moving your arm out to plant your hand on Sid's face and push him away, hearing him growl and move out from under it.

"You're all so loud," You whine, faking a sleepy voice and opening your eyes. "I was sleeping." You slowly sit up, pointedly ignoring Sid and Leo as you knee-walk across the bed. Everyone except Nico, Alyn, Byron and Albert are there, and you make your way over to Robert, sighing out in the hopes of getting on Sid's nerves more, "Robert, can I have a hug? All this shouting's annoying me."

He smiles at you adoringly, watching you rub your eyes and come over to him. He holds his arms out, letting you plop down into his lap, then cling onto him and lean your head on his shoulder. "Of course, Princess. Always."

You snuggle into him, humming into his shirt before breathing in his light, airy scent. He chuckles into your hair, asking, "Shall we go and do something before the night is out, so that we have at least a small chance of sleeping later?"

You nod, taking his hand as it rests on your knee and playing with his fingers. You can feel Sid glaring daggers into the side of your head, presumably for pushing him in the face, but you ignore it and continue to lace and unlace your fingers through Robert's. He humours you, every few seconds removing his fingers to tickle your palm. You find yourself giggling at the feathery touch, trying to move your hand away, but he holds it gently with his other one and continues to run the pads of his fingers over your soft skin.

"Come," He prompts after a few more seconds, taking your hand and squeezing it before bringing it to his mouth. He kisses your knuckles, then sits up and slides over to the edge of the bed. He pulls you up as he stands, setting you on your feet and keeping your hand in his. "Shall we go and see where Byron is?"

You nod, feeling the warmth from his hand around yours, comforting and safe and blissfully normal. Still, your heart twinges a little; Albert’s also not here. "Yeah. Where's Albert?"  
He smiles down at you before glancing at the others, nodding to them. He then lightly squeezes your fingers, tugging you towards the door. You send the guys a smile, then look forward again when he guides you out. He escorts you over to the stairs, making his way down with you. "I'm not sure. He's most probably somewhere near Byron, though. As we know, he's rarely too far away from him."

You laugh at the last bit, the tightness in your chest easing up a bit. You swing your hand upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, and he grins at you, squeezing it tenderly. "True."

You both poke your heads into the living room, but it is quiet in there, with no signs of life in the room. Robert hums, then pulls you back before walking to the kitchen. 

Inside, you see Alyn and Nico sat at the island across from each other, apparently engaged in a staring contest. It looks like Alyn has scrubbed the pen from his face, since there's red marks on his skin where it was. There's a small red mark on Nico's forehead, like someone's poked him really hard. Behind him, you see Byron stood at the side, holding a cup of what looks like tea, with Albert stood opposite him. He has a cup of his own.

For a moment, you have to just stare at Byron and Albert, appreciating them. Byron leans against the counter, wearing a long-sleeved black shirt that outlines his muscles, and a bit of the bottom has hitched up slightly, exposing his pale side and hip. His hair is somewhat messy, the strands covering his right eye and leaving his left to shine like steel in the light.

Albert's hair isn't exactly messy, but it's not quite combed or styled like it normally is. It looks natural, some pieces hanging down over his eyes. His body is relaxed for once, gaze gentle,  staring out of the window. He has a jumper on with a cowl neck, and the lean set of his body is evident, accentuated by the clothes. His glasses are in his free hand, giving you a chance to see him without them on.

Byron's lips curl up when he sees you walk in, gaze trained on your face. Albert looks over, sliding his glasses on. "Good afternoon." Byron says, his voice slightly lower and huskier than usual. You smile back brightly, grinning at Albert and coming to a stop when Robert does.

"Hi. How long have you two been up?" You respond, feeling Robert slip his hand out of yours. Giving you a subtly mischievous smile, he steps behind you and hugs you, his arms crossed over your stomach. A shiver tickles over your skin and up your spine, mind reeling to the feeling of his chest against your back.

"Not long. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes longer than Sid and Leo." He turns around, placing a hand on the kettle. "Would you both like some tea?"

"Yes, please. I'll make it." You answer, glancing up at Robert before you try to step forward. He sends you a rare, playful wink, then tugs you against him, not letting you go.

"It's alright; I am fine with making it, Princess. You always insist on making it when we are at your house." Byron counters gently, filling the kettle up and turning it on. 

You make a disgruntled noise, letting your head fall back against Robert's chest. He leans down and kisses your forehead, letting his nose bump against yours with a light laugh. You roll your eyes playfully, then gently break away from him to cross the kitchen. You feel the three watching you, Alyn and Nico having not finished their staring contest yet, as you approach Albert.

His expression is blank as you come over, although you see his cheeks gain a tiny dusting of pink. You smile, stopping just in front of him. "Hey. You okay?"

He doesn't reply for a moment, and then he clears his throat, nodding. "Yes, I am fine. Thank you. I wasn't feeling well... I apologise for my behavi-"

You cut him off before he can say sorry, chiding gently, "Oi, no apologies. You don't need to say sorry."

He makes a face, frowning a bit. You shake your head, giving him a big smile. "Hug?" You ask, holding your arms up.

He hesitates for a second before sighing, placing his cup down. His mouth is turned up ever so slightly, though, and you beam at him as he wraps his arms around your shoulders and back. He pats your head, feeling you hug his chest, face resting against his collarbone. He exhales deeply, leaning down to place his lips on the top of your head and smooth down your hair. 

After a few seconds, a quiet, short chuckle escapes him. His breath is warm on your scalp when he speaks, commenting, "You're small."

You burst into your own laugh at the random sentence, replying, "And you're tall."

He smiles again, his teeth showing slightly. He nods. "Touché."

A few more giggles slip out of you at this, and then you pull back when his arms loosen around you. Grinning again, you put your hands on your hips, laughing out, "Being small's good, though. It means hide and seek is a lot easier."

He rolls his eyes as this, but he looks mildly amused, relaxation clear in his eyes. He blushes a bit more now, reaching down to very carefully take your wrists and remove your hands from your hips. Skin warming under his touch, you watch him release your hands, away from your torso.

Then, without warning, he picks you up by the hips, lifting you off your feet. Your hands fly to his shoulders for balance, watching him avoid your gaze, cheeks now very red. He steps forward, then gently sits you on the counter before letting go. He moves back, clearing his throat and staring at the wall. He takes a sip of his tea again. "But it also means that you can't win by running when you're found."

Now also a bit flushed from the sudden contact, you shake away your racing thoughts, composing yourself swiftly. You think for a moment. "That's fair, but I can climb and dodge more, which balances it out."

He shakes his head, seeming to know that you're not going to back down. "We'll see."

Byron comes over at this point, handing Robert, who is leaning against the counter next to you, a cup of tea. He then gives you one, and you take it with a thank you and a smile. He returns the gesture, finishing his own tea before rising the cup out and putting it on the side to be washed. "So, what shall we do for the remainder of the day?"

There is silence for a few moments. You shrug, sipping at the tea and closing your eyes at the sensation of the sweet liquid running down your throat. It warms your insides pleasantly, and you smile to yourself, letting out a content sigh. 

"How about we watch some films and maybe play some games?" Nico suggests, wandering over to stand between Byron and Albert. You swing your legs, nodding at the thought of just relaxing with the boys for the night. You open your eyes. There's not enough time left in the day to do anything substantial, so you may as well just chill and rest so that you're ready for whatever the others want to do tomorrow.

Byron nods at this, and Albert does the same. You look at Alyn, seeing him now stood, leaning against the island. He mimics the movement. 

The others come down at this point, filing into the kitchen. Nico waits until they're all in the room before he speaks. "There's no point going out at this time of day, and we're all still a little sleepy, so we were saying that maybe we can just watch some films and play games for the night."

There aren't any protests against the idea, and you smile before hopping down off the counter. Byron watches you do this, then looks around the room. "What food do we want while we are playing and watching the films, then?"

"Popcorn!" Nico sings outs, making all of you laugh. Byron nods, opening one of the overhead cupboards and taking a large packet of popcorn out. Nico hums, rocking back and forth on his heels as he thinks. "Maybe pizza for dinner later, if we all get a bit hungry?"

Leo hoots at this, grinning widely. Byron plugs the microwave in and puts the popcorn in, proceeding to then put his arm around your shoulders and pull you against his side. You instinctively lean into him, feeling him start to rub your upper arm gently. "Let's go and decide what we're going to do now, then."

The others start to leave the room, and you go out with Byron, still drinking your tea. You all head into the living room, where Nico skips over to the TV, picking up an Xbox controller. "Okay, what game do we want to play?"

"Left 4 Dead 2. Come on, it's hilarious." Sid answers. You grin; you love this game. 

Nico gets to work on finding the game, and Byron squeezes your shoulders. "Shall we get some beanbag chairs from the big room?"

You nod enthusiastically at that, and he smiles again before reaching down to take your hand. You both go back upstairs, picking up the beanbag chairs and dragging them out of the room after you put your tea down. You collate them at the top of the stairs, and then on the count of three, push them down, watching them roll to the bottom in a heap. You hold your hand up for a high five, which he gives you, catching your hand in the process.

You then return downstairs with your tea, bringing the chairs in. You observe that the boys have arranged the couches to be further away from the TV, then set up the game and connected four controllers. You wonder if Byron, Nico and Albert bought another for the visit.

You spend a few minutes setting the beanbags up around the TV, then plonk down in one which is your favourite colour, near the middle. You sigh happily as you sink into the chair, pulling your knees up to your chest and resting your arms on them. The others find themselves their own beanbags, seemingly matched to their own favourite colours. From where you are sitting, on the far left is Sid, then Alyn, Leo, Louis, Giles, you, Byron, Nico and Albert, with Robert on the far right.

Nico gets the controllers, looking around the group with a big grin. "So, who's playing first?"

**♡♔♡**


	5. Part V | Guilty Pleasure, the First Night, Training and the ICAC.

**♡♔♡**

**_Previously:_ **

_You spend a few minutes setting the beanbags up around the TV, then plonk down in one which is your favourite colour, near the middle. You sigh happily as you sink into the chair, pulling your knees up to your chest and resting your arms on them. The others find themselves their own beanbags, seemingly matched to their own favourite colours. From where you are sitting, on the far left is Sid, then Alyn, Leo, Louis, Giles, you, Byron, Nico and Albert, with Robert on the far right._

_Nico gets the controllers, looking around the group with a big grin. "So, who's playing first?"_

**♡♔♡**

**Twenty minutes later.**

"Nico, you little shit!"

"It's not my fault! I didn't realise the witch was right there!"

"Yeah, well, now she's after me, asshole! And I've got all the zombies on the goddamn map after me too!"

"I'm sorry!"

You wheeze out another laugh as Nico and Alyn continue to shout at each other, both of them mashing buttons and trying to run from the zombies on the game. Robert and Albert are also playing, and seem to be handling it much more calmly. When Robert manages to kill several of the larger zombies in a row, you hoot and clap, seeing him send you a playful wink without stopping playing.

It goes on like this for a few hours, all of you churning through different games, and eventually everyone agrees that it's time to watch a film instead. The supply of food and drinks are replenished while Nico and Albert fetch two quilts from the big room, throwing them on the floor in front of the bean bags. You lie down, your head on the bag, then burrow under the covers and get comfy in the warmth. 

Giles does the same next to you, giving you a smile and tightening the bobble in his hair. "It seems that we are watching 'Insidious', so I would be prepared for a bit of screaming from the likes of Nico, Leo and Alyn."

That receives a simultaneous, offended yell of, "Hey!" from the three. You fail to stifle a giggle, nodding. "That's okay. It'll be funny to see them scared."

He nods with a small grin, eyes twinkling. He looks away, though, when the others shuffle in to be closer together, so that you can all see the TV properly. You blink when you feel Giles slide his arms around your waist, then turn you to be side-on, so that your head is on his shoulder. Byron picks your legs up and rests them on his lap, rubbing your thigh and calf soothingly. He moves onto your beanbag, smiling a little at your confused expression.

This, coupled with Giles' arms as they wind around you, his hands on your hip and side and warm to the touch, makes your skin prickle and heart beat a little faster. You swallow thickly and talk in a slow breath, trying to fend off the sensation. Turning to the TV, you relax into Giles' embrace, snuggling into the security you feel from being so close to him.

And so the film begins.

At first, things seem to be very standard of horror films and you aren't particularly bothered by what's going on. But then, the jump scares start.

You're not expecting it, and neither is anyone in the group, so you naturally jump when a red-faced demon pops up and screams at one of the main characters. Nico lets out a shriek and practically clings to Albert, who jumps but doesn't scream. Leo and Alyn both jolt at the sound, Alyn letting out a little yelp in response, before he starts to grumble about the film being stupid.

Byron and Giles jump a bit, but otherwise they don't react, although Giles' grip on you tightens almost instinctively. Robert seems near enough unaffected by the scare, although his gaze is completely fixed on the TV, whilst Louis shrinks into his beanbag a little bit as he winces at the noise. Sid jumps but quickly recovers, laughing (albeit very awkwardly) as if to shrug his reaction off.

After a plethora of jump scares, plot twists and complicated story-telling, the film finally comes to an end, and you don't realise that you've been holding your breath until your lungs start to burn a little. You quickly let out the air and inhale again, looking around.

Nico looks about ready to pass out, whilst Leo and Alyn have seemingly fallen asleep on each other. Louis has curled up, fast asleep in his beanbag. Robert looks shattered, although he's awake, and the same goes for Byron and Sid. Albert has taken his glasses off and tipped his head back, although he isn't asleep yet. Giles appears to have fallen asleep with you in his arms. His lips are still resting against your head, parted slightly, his breaths wafting over your skin like a ghost’s kiss.

"Byron?" You whisper, since he's the closest person who's awake. "Should we wake everyone up or leave them here?"

He looks around, calculating the situation for a moment, before he runs a hand through his hair and murmurs back, "We'll carry them up to the big room, since they all want to sleep in there. Would you like to?"

You nod at this, maybe a bit too fast. "Yeah."

He nods, then turns to Sid. "Sid, you carry Louis." That receives a groan and a curse in response. "Albert, you carry Alyn. Robert, can you carry Leo? I will take Giles."

Albert and Robert nod silently, standing up and stretching. You ease yourself out of Giles' arms with some help from Byron, since Giles has an iron grip even in sleep. You make quick work of pulling the quilts back so that the four who are awake and functioning can pick up those who are asleep.

Nico stands up groggily, shuffling over and picking one of the quilts up, and you both take them up to the big room. You grin softly, watching him throw it onto the bed before flopping down in a different space to earlier, going still almost instantly. You shake your head and pull the blankets back, so that they can be tucked around the ones who are asleep when they are brought in.

You then go out and to your room, quickly brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed. When you go back to the big room, everyone who is asleep has been brought in, and are covered with blankets.

You smile to yourself again, seeing Byron sat up in the middle, doing something on his phone. Albert is prone near him, his glasses once again gone as he rubs his face tiredly. Robert is also sitting up, and you see him relax when you walk in, leaning back on one elbow before pushing his hair back from his face. Your heart skips at the sight; with his hair like that, and his eyes so soft and at ease, he looks breathtakingly beautiful.

_What the hell? Where did that come from? God, this needs to stop!_

Dismissing the thoughts, you continue your observation. Sid is lying down, propping his torso up with his elbows, and is on Byron's right. They both watch you come in now, and the intensity of their stares sends adrenaline rushing through your veins.

You try to calm yourself. It doesn't work, but you speak anyway. "Should I close the door?" You whisper, not sure if you should leave the door open of a night-time. 

Byron glances up from his phone, smiling softly. "If you wish to, of course. We don't mind. The majority of us prefer it to be closed, so you may as well."

You nod, shutting it quietly before walking over to the bed. Sid motions for you to come to him, so you pad around to the side of the bed, being careful not to trip over stray pillows in the dim lighting. You then climb onto the bed, seeing Sid pat the space between him and Byron. He eyes your form as you knee-walk over carefully, speaking in a low, husky voice. "Come here, Princess."

Your heart thuds a little at that, but you force yourself to calm down while you climb over him, setting into the gap between him and Byron. You shuffle under the quilt, which stretches across all three of you. A content sigh escapes you, the soft material surrounding you, delicate and comfortable against your skin.

You are pulled from these thoughts, though, when Sid moves to be closer to you. He shifts you up so that he can slip an arm under your waist and pull you to be pressed against him, your back to his chest. You immediately feel the heat from him surrounding you, the feeling of his other arm draping over your middle giving you a sense of security. Your cheeks gain a dusting of pink at the sensation of his larger body enveloping yours. 

It's now that Byron chuckles, pressing something on his phone that turns the lights off completely. He then locks his phone and passes it to Sid, who takes it and stretches over to put it on the bedside table near you both.

A smirk forms on his lips, against your hair, when Byron moves in closer as well. He gently slides his arm to be under your head, creating a warmer, firmer and yet still very comfortable pillow for you. Your lips part, breath catching slightly, when he grins gently in the dark. His free hand rises up to brush a lock of your hair out of your eyes. He then cups your cheek, his thumb rubbing over the skin gingerly.

He speaks, talking in a soothing, lulling purr, his voice deep, "So, are you happy that you're here?"

You quickly try to form a coherent sentence, your mind whirling with other thoughts. "Yeah, I'm really, really happy. I couldn't imagine anything more amazing than this... thank you, Byron." You turn your head a bit, glancing back at Sid. Your lips curl up. "And thank you, Sid. I'm really grateful for all of this."

He smirks at you, snorting and responding, "I know you are, Princess. You're welcome."

Your smile widens into a grin. It's hard to see in the dim lighting, but he nonetheless leans down to kiss your forehead gently. He's being quite affectionate, you think absently, and in front of Byron as well. Both of them are usually a bit more reserved when around people, even the others in the group, so it's strange that they're both being so relaxed and openly touchy with you. 

Well, you're not complaining. You guess they're becoming more comfortable around each other, which is a good thing.

Byron leans in close to you, resting his forehead against yours, before he sighs out contentedly, "I'm glad. You are always, always welcome here, any time. Be it for a day or a months or even years, you can always consider this house your home."

Your heart flutters in your chest again, and you feel your throat thickening at the loving sound of his voice. You can see him watching you in the dark, smiling, while he continues to smooth his fingers over your cheek. You try to keep your voice steady with your irregular heartbeat, responding lightly, "Mine's not as big, but you're always welcome there too. Thank you."

He chuckles softly at that, leaning down to press his lips against your eyelids and eyebrows, then your nose. "Thank you, Princess."

_This is what feels like to be loved._

_This is appreciation._

_This is happiness._

_This is me_

A wave of unease and guilt rolls through you at your thoughts. They make no sense.

Needing more reassurance, even though you already have so much, you keep your eyes closed and reach up for Byron's hand on your cheek. Gently holding it in your own, your other hand takes Sid's, dangling in front of your stomach. You curl your legs in close to your body without thinking, something you tend to do when you’re stressed or in need of comfort. You’ve never noticed this, though.

Byron has. He’s slightly concerned about the worry your body language is expressing, having learned, although with great difficulty, to study people’s ways of showing their emotions. You do this when you’re feeling unsure or particularly stressed over something, and the thought of you being unhappy makes his heart ache.

So, he lightly squeezes your fingers before moving in again, making your leg shift to be angled upwards. Your knee sits against his hip while your calf is partially pushed on top of his thigh.

You're so close to them both. The warmth from them is enough to set your body on fire, but it's not unpleasant. You like having them like this, having the contact and knowing that they care about you. You love feeling them holding you, knowing that they enjoy it just as much as you do, their touches and caresses so gentle and careful but still confident.

You can feel yourself falling into sleep. Your breathing starts to slow, lulled by their presence and protective holds, and your body relaxes into them as your muscles loosen up. Sid swaps your hand to his other one, then uses the free one to massage the side of your back, drawing a quiet, soft breath from you. He rests his face in your neck, inhaling deeply, his own breaths warm and comforting as they waft over your skin.

Byron seems to be thinking along the same lines, and his hand, on the arm under your head, moves to rub the back of your head and nape ever so gently. His movements are tender, his fingers pressing only slightly but still managing to make your thoughts go hazy.

"Sleep, Princess." He murmurs, lips dancing over your cheek, the vibrations of his voice reverberating through your body.

You can't stave off sleep any longer. Your body goes limp, but strong arms are there, keeping you safe and warm as you fall into dreams once more.

**♡♔♡**

In your sleep, you dream of them.

...

_You are breathing slowly, steadily. Your body is heavy with sleep, anchored into the dark by invisible chains. You are surrounded by heat, but it is a gentle fire. It warms, rather than burns. It soothes you and holds you close, keeping you safe, keeping you content._

_It's quiet. There's the sound of soft breathing around you, mixed in with your own, and movement every few seconds. The occasional sigh, a hum, a breathy laugh. It's peaceful._

_You start to wake up. A breath passes through your lips, and your eyes slowly open to a world of white._

_Lush, pearly canopies hang above you, hiding you from the rest of the world. The bed underneath you is silken and smooth, the covers unmarred and spotless, wrapped around you like an ocean. Your lips turn up, the small smile gracing your features beautifully. There's a collective murmur of sound around you, adoring voices and laughs and sighs._

_They make themselves known to you._

_There they are._

_The boys sit around you, watching your sleep-dazed form. They are clad in white, shining in the light of the room, as are you; covered in a simple shirt with short sleeves to hide your shoulders, and then cotton shorts, your lower thighs and legs uncovered. They are all smiling back at you, some tenderly, some lovingly, others with laughter in their eyes. But they are all looking at you, focused on you._

_They say nothing, but they move in sync, using a hidden language known only to them. One by one, they descend on you._

_Giles is the first to move. His long, slender fingers take your hand, lifting it to his lips. He is ever so gentle as he places slow, tender butterfly kisses across your knuckles, his mouth smooth and feather light as it ghosts up your fingers. He briefly sucks on the very tip of your middle finger, humming when your index finger rests against his lips._

_Next, Louis joins him. He comes to kneel next to Giles, his own hands coming up to gingerly hold your forearm. His lips join Giles', pressing against the other side of your fingers. His eyelids flutter closed. His kisses are lighter, fleeting, but still just as loving. Sweet, even. They brush and dance over your skin, warming, sending trembles through your limbs, not leaving a single spot untouched._

_After Louis, Nico moves in, his fingers slipping around your other arm. He brings it up, lowering his head. His teeth flash in the light when he smiles, the sight a beauty on its own. He presses quick, playful pecks along the skin of your forearm, trailing upwards. His hair tickles you as he pauses for a moment, a soft grin gracing his lips. After a few heartbeats, he sucks on the sensitive flesh, body arching over your arm. He laughs lightly, breath gliding over your arm at the sound of your own breathing hitching._

_Albert follows now, reaching up to lace his fingers through your own in a delicate, careful movement, sharing the arm with Nico. He lifts your palm to his mouth, closing his eyes contentedly. Lips gently kiss the skin, a path of touches forming as he makes his way to your wrist. A quiet, content sigh escapes him, your fingers cradling his face, allowing him to lavish your wrist with the gentlest of kisses._

_Leo is the next to move from where he is sitting at your feet. A gentle grin adorns his features, hands sliding around to cradle your left leg, now exposed as the cover is pulled away. The pads of his fingers brush against the soft flesh, and he leans down to plant kisses up your shin, his touch teasingly light. Chuckles sound from him, responding to the trembles shaking your muscles. All sense leaves you, body quaking. His hands run up your thigh, setting your body ablaze._

_Alyn quickly mimics his twin. Slightly rougher touches send more heat to your skin, heart thudding as he lifts your other leg up, embracing it firmly but still carefully. Deep, passionate kisses are scattered up your calf. His lips suckle on your flesh as if to claim it as his own, drawing out a quiet whimper from you. He grins roguishly, letting his teeth nip at your thigh, shudders wracking your body at the sensation._

_Sid closes in on you now, his head lowering to your stomach. His fingers slip under the material of your shirt, pulling it up painfully slowly. One hand snakes under your back, your spine arching and exposing your torso more. He smirks, sending shivers up and down your body, and then his mouth has descended on your flesh. He paints the skin with kisses, tongue quickly reaching out, tasting you for the briefest of moments._

_Robert moves up, fingers making a teasingly light path up your other side. A shiver rocks your form, his lips lowering to the unmarked skin of your chest. Lovingly, gently, adoringly, he worships your collarbone, free hand cradling your cheek and stroking it tenderly. The light touch moves, fingers taking the sleeve of your shirt and pulling it down, allowing his mouth to reach your sensitive shoulder._

_Finally, Byron joins the others. He runs his fingers through your hair ever so carefully, using it to tip your head back, exposing your neck to him. Low, rumbled chuckles escape him, your eyes sliding closed. His mouth moves to your throat. His lips suckle at it, kissing, nipping, claiming. Soft moans escape you, drawing a smile from him against your neck._

_It's so much pleasure, almost too much. The touches are so simple, so minimal, but they unhinge you in every way. Your body yearns for them, for their love, their embraces, their care._

_It's wrong. You don't care. You love them all._

_Eternity carries on blissfully, time slipping away into the clutches of their worship. But then, they disappear, and your heart breaks in your chest. You want them to stay. You need them._

_But they don't leave. They remain there as one of their hands covers your eyes carefully. A hitched breath catches in your throat. Warmth radiates near your face, a breath is released so wonderfully close to your lips. They lean in close, their identity unknown, their mouth hovering millimetres from yours._

_But they never make it._

**♡♔♡**

You jolt out of sleep quickly.

Your body is hot, skin flushed, breathing too quick. You are still in Sid and Byron's embrace, but they aren't awake. Your cheeks burn at the nature of your dream, and you decide to go and get some air. You're so confused and ashamed and guilty. You need to think this through.

You exhale slowly, then very gently slide down and out of Sid's arms. Neither him nor Byron are particularly heavy sleepers. So, you make sure not to jostle them as you slip down, under the cover, and then crawl out at the bottom. You take care not to wake the others as you move off the bed, wincing slightly at the feeling of the cool air around you, before you then walk to the door.

Once you're out, you close it quietly, then quickly walk to your room. There, you sigh and get a thin blanket from the wardrobe, throwing it around and approaching the French doors which lead to the balcony. You sit down in the armchair in front of them, curling up while you try to think through everything.

Something's changing in you. The way you feel about the boys is shifting, and in a way that you thought would never be possible. You're so much more aware of how they treat you, how they act around you, and each other, when doing things with you. You're even dreaming about them, wanting them in a completely wrong and messed up way. You thought that you only saw them as best friends, ones who were as close as you can get before stepping over the romance borderline. You thought that this would be how it would stay, that you would all just remain in this way and never even consider anything else.

And you're starting to doubt some of their feelings, as well. Although you're in no way expecting anything or getting your hopes up, well... you have a good idea of a few of them who may feel differently about you. Just what Byron said earlier, in the living room, is enough to have you doubting everything.

_"I think I may be keeping you all to myself, and the others are getting a little bit jealous of me."_

And then, of course, there's their unwillingness to tell you what the problem is, and evidently it involves them all, which would make it more likely that it's something to do with you. Otherwise, they'd tell you.

_"This is one thing that none of us can tell you, not yet. We need a bit of time before we can. Please, can you give us a bit longer? I promise we'll tell you, but not now."_

Even Robert has confirmed that they have no other way around the problem.

_"We're working through it as fast as we can so that we can explain everything to you, but we can't tell you yet. It's not time, and we're not ready to do it right now."_

They're waiting for something. They need to agree on when to tell you about it, but it feels like something else is needed for them to be able to. You can't stand not knowing, since you keep thinking that this may be something which could hurt or even destroy the group.

Your chest twinges and your throat tightens at the thought. Not having them around anymore, any of you not liking or even hating someone else...

You press your face into your knees, squeezing your eyes shut. You don't want to lose your composure and cry. You don't have the justification for doing so.

"___?"

You jump and whip around in the chair at the sound of your name as it is spoken from the doorway. You look around the chair, seeing Louis stood there, looking sleepy but still concerned. 

The worry on his face, the sadness in his eyes... you can feel your heart breaking again.

Pushing this back, you force yourself to smile at him. "Hi, Louis. Did I wake you up? Sorry."

He approaches your chair, and you see him shiver slightly. You scoot over, letting him sit down and then pull you against his chest, wrapping the blanket around you both. "I don't think you did. I just woke up a moment ago and saw that you weren't in the room, so I came to find you."

He sounds relieved, although still very groggy, his voice slow and soft with sleep. Your smile fades. "I just needed to clear my head. I'm sorry."

He wraps his arms around you tighter, pulling you onto his lap and pressing his lips to your forehead. "Don't apologise. What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

You have to smile a bit again; your dream certainly wasn't a bad thing, at least not at the time. "No, my head's just a bit all over the place at the moment. I'm fine."

He brings a hand up rest his fingers under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. "Are you sure? You shouldn't bottle things up without telling anyone. You told me that, all those years ago."

You laugh a little, knowing that he's right. "Yeah, I'm sure. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what's going on, either. I think I'm just worried over things and I'm overthinking them."

His eyebrows furrow a bit at that. "What are you worried about?"

You stare at him for a moment, pondering whether or not to tell him. He is watching you closely, his icy eyes never moving from yours for one second. His skin looks so pale in the night-time light from the windows, his hair almost silver. "It doesn't matter. Honestly, it's okay. If I need to talk to you about something, I will. This will pass."

He seems a little bit unsure about that, so you try to avoid further questioning. "Come on. You look shattered; let's go back. It's late, and if Albert and Alyn get their way, we'll be hiking up some mountain all day tomorrow, so we need sleep."

He looks even more unconvinced now. It feels like someone has punched you in the gut as you watch his eyes fill with worry and sadness again. You reach up, cupping his face and saying softly,

"Louis, please, just trust me. You guys have something that you can't tell me about, and that's okay, but this is something I want to try to fix on my own and at the moment can't tell you about. If I need your help, I'll ask for it, but for now, I need you to trust me like the way I'm trusting you."

You immediately regret saying that; he knows you're still worrying over them now. You smile, trying to encourage him to drop it. After a long moment he nods. "Alright." He mumbles.

He draws you in close to embrace you, nuzzling his face into your neck. You burrow into him, running your fingers through his hair and stroking it gently, trying to soothe him. You stay there for a few minutes, and then you manage to get him up with a bit more pleading. He takes your hand when he stands up, holding onto it tightly while you both walk back to the big room.

You squeeze it upon getting back to the bed, then let go and crawl back in between Sid and Byron. He goes back to his spot, settling down again. He falls asleep after a few minutes, his breathing becoming deeper and slower.

You sigh, feeling Sid pull you into his chest again, apparently still asleep. Byron moves in close to you, leaving you with no choice but to place your hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat to be steady and strong under his skin. It relaxes you, the constant thrumming, the pulse of life against your hands.

Mere minutes pass. You succumb to the dark again.

**♡♔♡**

**Day 2.**

"Leo, get the fuck away from me."

"C'mon, Alyn! I want a hug, little brother."

"Fuck off."

You slowly become aware of what's going on around you, inhaling deeply. You can feel Sid and Byron still on either side of you, although you're much closer now. Sid's leg has managed to shift forward, under yours, and with Byron so close to you, your thigh now rests on his. Sid is still holding your waist, but Byron's arm has made its way around your back, his chest now touching yours. His chin rests atop your head. Sid's face is behind your head, his breath warm on your neck.

You slowly look up, seeing Alyn and Leo awake and bickering with each other behind Byron. Nico is sat in the middle as he watches them, laughing away. Giles, above you and to your right, is lying down, his head in Robert's lap. They speak quietly, Giles’ eyes closed while Robert absently twists the former’s burgundy locks around his fingers. Louis and Albert are still asleep, it seems. You smile at the sight of Robert and Giles; it's nice that they're comfortable enough to be physically close like that.

Guessing that you should just stay there until Sid and Byron wake up, you let out a breath, laying your head on Byron's arm again. You guess it's probably going to be completely numb when he wakes up. You close your eyes, smiling softly. Sid mumbles something in his sleep, tugging you against him even tighter. You almost laugh; they're so protective of you, and it's almost like they get jealous and want to keep you to themselves sometimes.

_But for what reason?_

Your smile weakens at the thought. You still don't know what's going on behind the curtain they've drawn between you and them, and you still don't know their feelings. Your stomach twists with unease.

You lie there for what's probably about twenty more minutes, the others just talking or playing quietly, and then Byron stirs in front of you. Your eyes open a little, and the corner of your lips lift when you see him breathe in deeply, his head rolling back a bit. He removes his arm from your waist, raising it to rub his face and run his fingers through his hair. He looks gorgeous, you have to admit it; with the dark shirt and hair, pale skin and chiselled features, along with the ruggedness from sleep, you can't help but think that he's beautiful.

They all are.

His eyes slowly open, and then they move down to look at you, almost instantly softening and taking on a loving gaze. He smiles slightly, seeing your own eyes open halfway. "Good morning." He murmurs, his voice deep and husky, rumbling through his chest.

You try to ignore the sparks that shoot through your limbs at the sound, replying softly, your own voice slow and gentle, "Good morning."

Something appears in his eyes for a moment, a glint of an emotion you aren't able to identify, before it evaporates. He takes one of your hands, still resting against his chest, and brings it up to his lips. He kisses it gently, mumbling into your skin, "Did you sleep well?"

Your heartbeat quickens at the proximity and intimacy of the situation, your mind screaming one thing.

_This isn't a friendly relationship. This isn't normal. You're deluding yourself; there's something more going on here. This can’t be that simple. This isn’t innocent anymore._

"Yeah." You reply, shaking the thoughts away and deciding to not tell him about your... moment with Louis. "I'm really comfy."

He laughs softly at that, seeming pleased. "I'm glad. You weren't uncomfortable at all, were you? Sid seems to be holding onto you rather tightly."

You grin, subconsciously becoming more aware of Sid's arms around you. "No, I'm okay."

He nods, continuing to play with your fingers. His eyes drift closed again for a few minutes, and he presses your palm to his cheek, shivering ever so slightly upon feeling your thumb caressing his cheekbone. "I wonder what time it is."

He holds your hand again while he lifts his torso up marginally, turning to look at Nico across the bed. The rose-haired boy grins and bounces across the bed to Byron upon seeing you both awake, plopping down next to him. "Good morning!"

Byron laughs at his never-ending enthusiasm, responding, "Good morning. Do you know what time it is?"

Nico nods, retrieving his phone from the pocket of his pyjama pants and pressing the home button. He then locks it again, putting it away, before laughing almost nervously. "Maybe somewhere around ten past twelve?"

Byron just stares at him for a moment, seeming to be expecting Nico to be joking. When Nico scoots back, still laughing, he groans lowly, dropping his head onto the pillow. "And how long have you been up? Is Al awake?"

You can practically see Nico sweat-dropping as he rubs the back of his head, giving Byron a sheepish grin. "Uh... I've probably been awake for about forty five minutes, and Al is... not... um... awake yet."

Byron shakes his head, sighing heavily. "And here I was, thinking that we'd get up early and have the whole day to do something." He turns back to you, raising an eyebrow. "Apologies. I didn't intend to sleep so late. How long have you been awake?"

You smile, laughing out, "Maybe twenty minutes. Why are you apologising? It's good to sleep, Byron. You don't get enough of it, and it's going to turn around and bite you in later life." You lift your hand up, out of his, before poking his nose playfully. "You need to relax and sleep in more. If your body didn't need the sleep, it would have woken you up earlier. Listen to it; it wants rest."

He seems mildly surprised by your slightly authoritative tone, but then a quiet laugh bursts out of him. He nods once more. "We'll see, Princess."

Nico laughs now, moving closer again and sitting on Byron's stomach with his legs crossed. Byron shakes his head at the smaller boy, but he's smiling. Nico giggles, apparently happy with his human chair.

Ten or so minutes go by while you all talk, Albert now having woken up. The others come over when they see that you and Byron are up. It's not too long after this that Sid comes around.

He lets out a load, irritated groan that makes the conversation pause momentarily, grumbling into your hair, "God, you're all so noisy. Shut up, will you? I'm sleeping."

Leo laughs at that, poking Sid's cheek. "You do realise that it's nearly half twelve, right?"

Sid just mutters something under his breath before locking his arms around you, trapping you in them. He then suddenly rolls over, flipping you onto his other side and away from the others in the process. He smirks at your shocked yelp. "Halle-fucking-lujah. It's about time we got to have a lie in. Now shut up so I can sleep more."

"Sid," Byron says, his voice warning. "Get up. You've had your lie in. We need to decide on what we're doing and get ready - we've already lost enough time."

That just receives a grunt at first, and then Sid snickers, retorting, "You guys go on out. I'll chill here with ___."

"That's it." You hear Alyn snap.

Without any further warning, the younger Crawford grabs Sid's arm, then loops his own arm around Sid's neck. Said Grandier lets out a choked sound of surprise as Alyn drags him back, his grip on you disappearing. You sit up, watching Alyn chuck Sid onto the bed away from you all. He scoffs annoyedly.

"You're such a pain in the ass, you know that?" Alyn comments.

Sid growls, sitting up and scowling. He then launches himself at Alyn, throwing them down onto the bed, and they start to wrestle each other. Again. "Yeah? Well, right back at you, sunshine!"

This carries on for a few minutes, and you just watch them, shaking your head. 

"So," Byron draws the attention of the group back to him, away from the minor scuffle. "What do we want to do today?" He homes in on Nico, his stare soul-penetrating. "Other than an extended training session for lost time, of course."

Nico immediately lets out a whine, dropping his head onto Byron's knee and shaking it. "I don't want to!"

There's a collective groan from the rest of the group. You forgot about that.

Some time ago, rather serious and dangerous events regarding his and Nico's biological father, also Albert's adoptive one, happened. Afterwards, Byron made sure to start training the three of them heavily in hand-to-hand combat, in addition to that taught in school. The training is rather rigorous and tiring; you know yourself, from Byron making you take part for his peace of mind after school, that's it's also very painful.

You make a noise of protest, flopping onto the pillow and dragging the blanket over your head. Nico quickly burrows under, coming to latch onto your side as he moans unhappily. His arms constrict your waist and he presses his face into your neck. You sigh, patting his head whilst murmuring, "I know."

The cover is thrown off you both at this point, and Nico freezes against you. You look up, seeing Byron and Albert staring down at you both with almost menacing expressions. 

"Shit." You mutter.

Byron smirks.

Albert reaches down, taking Nico's arm and attempting to pull him away from you. When he is unable to move the smaller but still very strong boy, he scowls deeply. He promptly hooks an arm around Nico's waist, tugging him up sharply. Nico refuses to let go of you, and your torso is pulled up because of how tightly Nico is clinging onto it.

"Don't let him take me, ___! I don't want to train today!" He all but wails, although you know he's not being serious, before he tightens his grip on your middle. You cling onto his neck, pulling him back down and onto the bed. Albert grunts. 

It's now that Byron moves, coiling an arm around your hips while the other secures itself across your chest. You squeak, holding onto Nico's neck tighter when you are near enough immediately attached from him. Byron's sheer muscle strength overpowers yours easily. "Don't let go, Nico!"

You absently notice that the others are laughing at the dramatisation of the situation. Nico seems to as well, as he presses his forehead against yours and whispers, his voice ever so gentle and sincere, "We'll be together again soon, Princess. I promise."

You don't have time to return the promise, because Byron gives another strong tug, ripping you from Nico's grip and him from yours. You cry out dramatically when Albert stalks to the door with Nico, the latter reaching out for you and calling your name. Albert lets out an annoyed breath, snapping, "Stop being so childish. You're so dramatic."

You call back to Nico, wriggling about in Byron's arms. Said Wagner smirks at your struggling, noticing that he’s lifted you off the floor completely. He throws you over his shoulder now, holding onto your thighs to keep you steady, before he asks the others, "Shall we go and get this over with?"

They groan again, but they get up nonetheless. You pretend to cry while you hang over Byron's shoulder, whimpering about losing Nico. Byron just walks out and down the stairs, where you see Albert get to the bottom, turning and heading left. You tilt your head, wondering where he's going. 

You have to stop looking at this point, not very fond of being at such an angle as Byron descends the stairs. The others follow as you go down, and you watch Byron go into the hallway on the right side of the lobby, from the door. Albert and Byron walk to the end, at the back of the house. The former presses a small, almost invisible panel in the wall, revealing a small keypad. He enters a seven-digit combination, and then there is a hiss and a larger panel appears in the wall, opening slightly.

You are too awestruck to say anything as Albert enters, Byron going after him down a set of stairs.

You hear the door close behind the group, and then Byron walks into a massive room, easily the size of most of the house, with support beams scattered throughout it. It's full of exercise equipment, from punch bags to treadmills to a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons like spears and swords. Then, there is a locked door at the back, which you guess is heavily built, since it's made entirely from metal. The floors are covered in training mats, and there is a large space at the side where the floor is bare, seemingly a sparring square.

"Oh my God." You moan, knowing that this isn't going to be pleasant. You hang over Byron's shoulder limply, hearing him laugh darkly as he approaches the mats. He stops in the middle, setting you on your feet. Nico has been deposited on them as well, but he has yet to stand up, simply lying on his face. You can hear him protesting weakly at the oncoming torture. You swiftly run to him, flopping onto the mat before Byron can stop you.

He quickly wraps his arms around you, hiding your face in his chest. You smell his sweet scent, light and fresh, enveloping your senses. "We're together again, Princess. We'll be okay."

2A scoff from behind you says otherwise, and you're filled with the urge to run for it when Albert speaks.

"Just for that, perhaps I should double the routine."

There is a groan from the others once more, and then it begins.

**♡♔♡**

An hour later, you are gasping for breath, gritting your teeth and struggling to keep control of your muscles.

You are planking on the floor, your body held rigidly. Albert hovers over you, Nico inches to your left. You grunt, squeezing your eyes shut and forcing your body to remain up even as it screams for mercy. 

"Ten more seconds."

You almost collapse with relief. You push your way through, ignoring your trembling muscles while you shake like a leaf on the floor. You count the seconds down, saying them like a prayer in your mind.

"Finished."  
You hit the mat.

You sprawl out, joints and limbs on fire. That was the end of a very long, very painful workout, which included thirty sit-ups, thirty push-ups, twenty minutes running on the treadmill and one minute of planking. Now, you can relax, and by God, you're going to do it so hard.

You close your eyes, body unmoving on the mat except for the rapid rise and fall of your chest. Your stomach is aching from the use of the muscles in it, and your arms and legs feel weak. Your skin is flushed, burning on the inside. You can't move.

This is what happens when the holidays roll around and you spend weeks not moving, for the most part.

You groan when you feel Nico throw his arm over your torso, weakly pulling you against him. "We made it." He gasps out, breathing hard and shaking as well. "We're not dead... sort of."

All you can do is nod, breathing in deeply to try and get the energy back into you. You manage to flip your head over to look at Byron, Alyn and Sid, the last ones still doing training.

Albert has already done his training, which is fifty push-ups, fifty sit-ups, thirty minutes on the treadmill, some pull-ups on the set of rings suspended from the ceiling supports, and two minutes of planking. His shirt is off, body glistening with sweat. Although he was embarrassed about taking it off at first, he later managed to get past it for the sake of his training.

You find yourself staring at him, and then at Alyn, Byron and Sid. They are also shirtless, powering their way through their training, and seem to be trying to outdo each other in their stamina. They breathe hard and deep, control evident as they move their bodies, skin slick with a sheen of sweat. They are doing a long set of push-ups, somewhere around sixty right now, which is pretty damn good for their age. You're all only seventeen (and eighteen for Sid, but that’s not important right now), after all.

The rest of the boys have also finished, although the likes of Giles and Louis couldn't do as much as the others. They are sitting at the side of the room, recovering from the intense exercise.

You find yourself struggling to look away from the three still training. The way they move, how their muscles flex and constrict as their chests heave, their focused expressions and sheer willpower...

_I shouldn't be thinking like this._

You close your eyes and swallow, shaking the thoughts away. You then force yourself to sit up, out of Nico's grip, groaning at the aching of your body. You heave in a breath, feeling your shaking slowly subsiding.

"Seventy one, seventy two, seventy three..." Byron is counting the push-ups, his voice strained. Sid and Alyn seem to struggle to keep going. Alyn looks like he's in agony as he continues, trying to stay in rhythm with Byron. 

Maybe it will help if you count instead. You clear your throat, jumping in in time with Byron. "Seventy four, seventy five, seventy six,"

He glances up when you start to count for him, but he quickly seems to adjust, stopping in saying the numbers himself with a look of relief. Alyn and Sid look up, watching you for a moment. You keep your pace steady, giving them a beat to work with. You give them an encouraging smile, knowing that they want the best score and to be able to push themselves to their limits.

It seems to work almost instantly. Sid's mouth splits into a smirking grin, and he growls before he shakes his head to focus himself again. Alyn gets a little smirk of his own, readjusting his body to be in a better position before he pushes on. Byron keeps his eyes on you, never leaving your face. You observe him starting to push up with more surety than before, his form stronger.

"Eighty five," A few minutes later, they are still going, although the burst of inspiration from your smile is fading quickly. You are starting to think that they're going to really strain themselves at this point, and are wondering if you should stop them when Alyn goes down.

His arms give out under him, and he drops onto the mat with a shout of pain. He goes limp, groaning lowly. Sid and Byron glance down at him, their momentum faltering. Their eyes meet. You can almost see the challenge sparking between them, the desire to be the last one up stronger than ever. 

_Oh dear._

You keep counting, and you soon reach one hundred, now sat closer to them with your legs crossed. Alyn was dragged away by the others and drenched in, then made to drink some water, and is now cooling off on one of the benches. Sid is really struggling now; although he's just as muscular as Byron, he hasn't been training for as long nor as hard as him. You can see his resolve faltering, his strength dangerously low. 

They've done one hundred and eight when he finally gives up, landing on the mat hard on his face before rolling onto his back. His breath hisses in and out of him rapidly, his face contorted in agony. He squeezes his eyes shut, gasping for air, arms trembling.

Knowing that he needs to cool down quickly but not wanting to leave Byron, since he's still going, you move over as Albert drags him off the mat. He yanks him onto the floor, fetching a bottle of water from what you notice is a mini fridge and opening it. He then proceeds to splash some of it directly onto Sid, which draws out a collection of sharp swears and insults from him, before he pours some of the water into his mouth.

You move to be sat right in front of Byron now, your expression determined, gaze locked with his. Your voice is steady while you keep counting, watching him watch you, eyes rising and falling in time with his body. 

When you reach one hundred and twenty, he finally seems ready to break.

He lowers himself down as normal, but then his arms shake violently when he tries to push up again. He winces, growling at himself, before his elbows buckle and he goes down. 

He lands hard, like the others, and seems to be in an even worse state than Sid was. You immediately turn to Albert as he comes over with a bottle of water, and you take it from him, opening it before helping to pull Byron onto the main floor. It's been dried since Sid stopped, but you don't hesitate in covering Byron's mouth for a brief moment, running the water over his head and chest. Not at all bothered by the water soaking into your legs, you stop and cradle his head in your free hand, pressing the bottle neck to his lips. He drinks like a madman, downing the water in seconds, eyes still closed. 

You proceed to drench him in another bottle of water, giving him a third to drink. The same was done with Sid and Alyn, although slower, since they stopped earlier. It takes a few minutes for Byron to start to cool down, and when he does, Albert hands you a towel. You take it with a smile, having seen him help Sid to dry off before. You start to rub the towel over Byron's chest, and he remains on the floor while you do. You are gentle, being careful not to put any pressure on his muscles when they might be sore.

You dry his face afterwards, brushing his hair back, and then grin when he opens his eyes halfway.

He starts to move, seeming to drag himself towards you backwards. You move yourself forwards, guessing what he's going to do, and put the towel in your lap as you position yourself behind him. He drops his head onto your thigh, one shoulder in your lap, and you bend your leg out to support the other. You reach down, stroking his cheek with one hand while the other sifts through his hair.

It takes you a moment to realise how close you both are, and again you are struck with the thought that this isn't normal for friends.

Your cheeks gain a dusting of rose colour as his breathing settles at last, his head falling forward so that his forehead rests against your hip. He lets out a long sigh, a small smile curling at his lips. "It seems I've beaten my record."

You have to laugh at that, the statement seeming childish coming from such a serious person. Shaking your head, you continue to run your fingers through his blue-black locks, praising him, "You did really well. Well done." You look back at the others, grinning and saying enthusiastically, "We all did. We're not dead, guys!"

There is a collection of laughs and hoots at your statement, and you look back at Byron. He chuckles quietly. "Indeed." He looks up at you, asking, "So, what shall we do today?"

There are several shouts of protest at that, which makes you laugh, shaking your head. "You've just done one hundred and twenty push-ups and all of your other training, and you still have the energy to do something?" A smile curls at his lips. You sigh, grinning nonetheless, and boop him on the nose. "You're insane."

He rolls his eyes, responding, "No, I am just used to doing this amount of exercise on a daily basis. Some people have started to let their routine slip over the holidays, it seems."

You let out a mock offended gasp, placing a hand over your heart and gasping out dramatically, "Hey, I have been doing exercise! It's just hasn't been in the format of training!"

There are snickers and giggles from behind you at that, and you quickly realise why they're laughing. Your cheeks start to burn, and you smack a hand on your face, groaning out, "You know what I mean. I've just been doing jobs for the ICAC more often instead."

Their laughter stops. You sigh slightly, putting your hand down.

You are part of an organisation called the Institution for Criminal Activity Control (but those working for it abbreviate the longass name to the Institution, or more commonly the ICAC). It's essentially one of Wysteria’s intelligence agencies, and works to deal with criminal activity on a more serious, usually covert level than the normal police in Wysteria. They deal with both small-scale criminal issues like stalking and abuse, all the way up to criminal organisations, and basically act as a sweep to rid Wysteria of crime, leaving the police to deal with mostly lesser crimes and smaller threats.

They recruit those in particular who have been affected by these crimes, usually to prevent them from taking it into their own hands; they’d recruit someone they think would be likely to try to do this and monitor them, then train them up to be able to be an “agent”, to prevent them from going rogue and pursuing the criminals themselves. It stops normal civilians from falling into the cross-fire of criminal activity, and helps those who’ve suffered by it to deal with its effects in a healthier, more controlled way.

However, just like many authoritative bodies, the ICAC aren’t liked by a great many people, namely nobility with ties to the underworld (criminal sector of society), illegal activity under their belts, or less-than-legal arrangements for their companies. This also goes for people who aren’t fond of the likes of the police, since the ICAC are a hybrid police force in essence.

Your father was killed when you were fourteen, right in front of you, by the leader of the most powerful organised crime group in the region. This was because he, when he was alive, was an ICAC agent, and a decorated one at that. You managed to survive the attack, and the ICAC came after you to help you get through it, then work with you when you decided that you wanted to help with taking the group down. Your mentor, Lucian, taught you even more self-defence than what your father had by that point, despite being unhappy about it because your father never wanted you to be an agent, and now you can handle yourself in a fight, with many different weapons or unarmed, with complete confidence.

The painful thing, though, is that the leader of the group who killed your father was Byron's father, Gerald Wagner.

You shake your head, unpleasant memories surfacing in your mind. Byron's expression has become sombre now, as he watches your own, studying your mood. You quickly smile, assuring him, "I promise, I've been doing exercise."

He stares at you for a moment, and then he narrows his eyes slightly, reaching up to brush his thumb across your cheek. "It's not the exercise that I'm concerned about, Princess. It's the fact that you've been going on jobs for them and we didn't know, and so wouldn't have been able to help fast enough if something were to happen to you."

Your heart twists with a pang of annoyance at that. You're actually kind of offended. "I can take care of myself, Byron. I'm more than safe on the jobs; I've always got people ready to assist should I need it, and I have Lucian in my ear at all times to make sure I know what's going on."

Your mind gives way to anger, and you scowl, muttering, "I don't need you all to follow me around twenty-four seven, waiting for me to screw something up, when it's rare that things go wrong anyway. I thought we agreed that you'd have a bit of faith in me and the ICAC, and that you'd trust our judgement."

His expression turns to one of shock upon hearing the almost-hidden hurt in your voice, and seeing the unhappiness on your face. He quickly realises that you're right, and that he is being untrusting of your judgement once again. "___, I didn't mean that. We just worry about you - these jobs that you do are more dangerous on their own than the danger that some people will be exposed to throughout their lives. It would kill us to find out that you've been hurt on a job, when we didn't even know you were on one in the first place."

You are still for a moment, processing that. After a few seconds, your gaze hardens a little bit. Your lips tighten, pressing together for a second. "You have no obligations to help with the jobs, and you're not allowed to do that, anyway. I didn't realise I had to tell you every time I accepted one." Feeling the tension in the room rising quickly, you let out a breath, murmuring, "Let's just drop it. This isn't the time to be talking about this."

You don't want for there to be a full-on argument, so you clear your throat, changing the subject quickly. "So, we're going out today, then?"

You glance at the others, seeing them watching you and Byron intensely. Now, though, they seem to come to attention and snap out of it. Giles is the first to reply. "That was the plan, I think. However, if we are, we will need to get moving quickly; we will all need to bathe after doing training."

You nod at that. "Should we go and get washed first then, and then decide on where we're going afterwards?"

There are nods from Robert, Giles, Alyn and Louis. Albert and Nico remain still, gazes flickering between your face and Byron's. Leo is watching you closely, eyes narrowed. Sid looks tense, doing the same, his gaze completely focused on your face. You try to ignore the guilt squeezing at your heart, nodding. You look back to Byron. "Do you mind if I go and get washed, then?"

There is a beat of silence while he stares at you, and you can feel the clash between you both even as you don't speak. His gaze moves between your eyes for a few seconds. He then shakes his head, answering, "Of course not. You need not ask."

All you can do is nod at that, gently lifting his torso up and out of your lap. You then lay him down before standing, avoiding the gazes of the others, and leave the room without looking back.

The next thirty minutes are a blur as you get washed and dressed, then dry your hair upstairs before collapsing back onto your bed. You stare at the ceiling, throat thickening, and you feel yourself regretting your words from earlier. They have the right to be worried about you, you know that, and to be honest, it's not very fair that you went on jobs without letting anyone know. At the time, you were trying to stop them from worrying, letting them have a few weeks of not being more concerned than normal about you.

But that's not right; all of them said what they were doing over the first few weeks, whether it be on the group chat you have or in phone calls made most days. You lied to them all.

You rub your face, sighing heavily. 

_I’m a bad person._

You shake off this thought, sitting up and walking over to the wardrobe. You notice that a collection of books have been put on one of the shelves, and that there is a post-it note on the front of a few. You frown slightly, taking the note and reading it.

_"Hi honey, this is mum. I got you these books, since the main characters remind me of you and the boys a bit. I thought that you might want to read them while you're in Stein, and they have lots of good reviews, so I hope you'll enjoy them! Call me if you can if you haven't by the time you read this, so that you can tell me how it's going over there._

_Have fun, sweetie!_

_Mum._

You blink, momentarily confused. You then take the first book out from the shelf, putting the note down. You read the back of the book, seeing that the series is about a girl who has an extremely controlling and cruel mother, but meets a group of boys who she learns are from an academy that has a lot of secrets of its own. The books are about how the girl becomes very close to the boys, and has to learn to trust them as they do the same with her.

Your mind whirls, seeing that the genre is romance.

_Mother, what the hell are you thinking?_

**♡♔♡**


	6. Part VI | Compromise, Town, and a Wink.

**♡♔♡**

**_Previously_ **

_You blink, momentarily confused. You then take the first book out from the shelf, putting the note down. You read the back of the book, seeing that the series is about a girl who has an extremely controlling and cruel mother, but meets a group of boys who she learns are from an academy that has a lot of secrets of its own. The books are about how the girl becomes very close to the boys, and has to learn to trust them as they do the same with her._

_Your mind whirls, seeing that the genre is romance._

_Mother, what the hell are you thinking?_

**♡♔♡**

You shake your head again. You feel your cheeks, finding them warm with mild embarrassment. 

You then jump, breaking out of your internal struggles, when there is a knock at your bedroom door. "___, may I come in?"

You freeze for a second at the fright, but relax upon registering that it's Giles. You put the book back quickly, answering, "Yeah."

You cross your arms over your stomach, instinctively standing still, watching him open the door. He then steps inside before closing it behind him, now washed and dressed in casual clothes. His expression softens, showing concern, as he approaches you, his strong, clean scent entering your senses. You feel yourself filling with guilt and shame for acting the way you did earlier, and you lower your eyes to the floor. He stops in front of you. 

He is gentle as he lifts his hands, cupping your face ever so tenderly, long fingers cradling your cheeks and thumbs brushing over the skin under your eyes. He tilts your head up, and your eyes move to meet his. He stares down at you. "___, Byron didn't mean to imply that we don't think you can handle yourself. We are just worried about you, because of the degree of danger that comes with these jobs."

Your throat thickens again. You've probably upset Byron more than you first expected.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just feel like you all doubt that I can take care of myself on the jobs, and that you think you all need to be there anytime I go on one. You aren't part of the ICAC, and I wouldn't be given the jobs if Lucian wasn't sure that I could handle them. It's not fair to want to be hovering around me every time I go on one, just because there's a chance of me getting hurt. If that's the way things are, we should never let Byron, Nico or Albert out of our sight. They're permanently in more danger than me at any given time."

He is quiet for a few moments, and then he sighs softly. "I know we are probably being overprotective of you, but we aren't trying to impede on your independence as a person. It's not like that at all. We just..." His eyes slowly roam over your features, settling on your lips for a few seconds. Letting out a quiet breath, he steps closer, so that your bodies are almost touching. He presses his mouth against your forehead ever so lightly, the touch almost ghostly, and kisses it while he utters softly,

"We can't bear even the thought of you being hurt. We know that you can handle yourself, and that you're safe, but all of our instincts say to keep you away from harm, just like they do for all of the others in the group. We're terrified, to be completely honest, of losing you, and of losing anyone. We don't want anything to happen to you, Princess. We would never stop you, of course, but we will always worry and want you to be safe. We care about you deeply and want you to be healthy and happy. We are trying to reign in our concerns, but it is difficult. Byron in particular is struggling, because we almost lost you when you went after his father."

You want to cry again. You get it, you really do; of course they care and want you to be safe, but this is your choice. You like doing jobs for the ICAC. You don't know if it's something you'd choose as a career, but for now, you're happy to do it.

Granted, you've been more and more tired lately. The amount of jobs you've been doing has decreased significantly, since the major threats in Wysteria were taken care of by yourself and another team in the ICAC over the course of the past year.

Your vision blurs and shifts with tears, and you are glad that he can't see them while you try to blink them away. "I'm sorry for not telling you I was going on the jobs, but for now, I'm going to keep doing them. I want to carry on doing them for at least a little while longer."

He exhales somewhat shakily, kissing down the centre of your forehead, then your nose, before resting his forehead against yours. "And we are sorry for being so protective. We will always do as much as we can to support you in what you want, even if we're not particularly fond of the idea. I would ask that you be patient with us, again Byron more so."

You swallow thickly, deciding that this is probably the best compromise you're going to get. You nod, your eyes remaining fixed on his chest, but more tears surface. You lower your head to hide them, but Giles places his fingers under your chin, tipping your face up to look at him. You avoid his gaze, conflict swallowing your mind.

His breath catches in his throat, his eyes almost pained, when you blink again, the action causing a few tears to escape and slide down your cheeks. He brushes them away, murmuring in a remorseful voice,

"I'm sorry, Princess. I imagine it's rather difficult to cope with us, and that we're probably overwhelming at times." 

You're immediately torn by this, your heart trying to both agree and disagree. Yes, they are overwhelming sometimes, but not in the way he is talking about. Yes, you wish they would trust you with the jobs and taking care of yourself.

But then, no. No, because you brought all of them to you. You chose to be friends with them all and accept them for who they all are, even if you don't agree with them at times. No, because you've been with them for years, with several of them having known you since you were kids.

"I..." Your voice cracks slightly, which makes you wince, before you clear it and speak again. "It's not that. I just... I'll tell you when I'm going to do a job, but you can't expect to come with me on them or even be in the area when I'm doing them. You need to let me do them on my own, and trust that the ICAC will deal with a problem should it come up."

He strokes your face for a few seconds, thinking, before he nods. "Alright."

He runs his hands down your neck, then over your shoulders and arms before taking your own hands in his. He brings them up to his lips, kissing the knuckles with a feather light touch. He releases them, then circles his arms around your waist to pull you against him.  You loop your arms around his neck tightly, feeling him lift you up because of his height, your feet an inch or so off the ground.

He keeps you there for a few seconds before setting you down, his hands resting on your hips. "Shall we go and decide what we're going to do today?"

You nod, glad for the diversion of topic, and the distraction from your completely messed up feelings. He removes his hands from your hips, instead taking one of your own, before escorting you out of the room. You inhale deeply, settling your breathing and trying to calm your emotions.

Not a minute later, you both walk into the living room. The others are waiting there, except for Nico, Byron and Sid. Your heart clenches uncomfortably at this; you assume that Byron's still upset. You'll have to apologise when he comes down.

Five pairs of eyes settle on you as you enter the living room. You tighten your grip on Giles' hand under the weight of the stares, wondering if they are upset with you for how you acted before. 

"Are you alright, Princess?" Robert's voice drifts into your ears, and you look up, seeing him watching you with a concerned gaze. You instantly feel worse, thinking that he shouldn't be so nice to you considering that you caused the semi-argument before.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry for how I acted before." Your voice is small as you say this, weaker than you would like it to be. 

Feeling guiltier by the second, you turn around to rest your head against Giles' chest. He squeezes your hand before placing his free one on your hair, stroking it soothingly. You can hear the others speaking quietly, murmuring to each other too lowly for you to hear.

A few minutes later, you hear footsteps from the stairs. Your feel yourself getting nervous, something that happens every time you have a disagreement or fight with one of the boys. The fear of upsetting or angering them so badly that they might leave is something that you've never been able to ignore or shake off.

You pull back from Giles, giving him the best smile you can, before you cross your arms. You watch as Sid, Nico and Byron come through the entrance, then into the living room. Byron looks no different than normal, and there are no subtle changes that you're sensitive to which communicate what he could be feeling. 

Seeing how tense you are, Sid gives you a smirk as he walks past you, briefly ruffling your hair. Nico smiles at you, giving your hand a squeeze from where it rests atop your arm, before he makes his way over to the couch. He plonks down on it, lying his torso across Albert's legs. They start to argue, although playfully. The others watch on amusedly.

You look over your shoulder quickly when a hand rests on it gently, seeing Byron staring down at you. Your guilt swells again, making you look down, lips parting to let your apology out. As you take in a breath to speak, though, he shakes his head, reaching down to lace his fingers through yours.

Confusion runs riot in your mind. He gently pulls you out of the room, leading you to the front doors. He unlocks them and steps outside, taking you with him, before he walks down the steps and towards the fountain. He slows upon reaching it, turning around to face you. He moves in close.

"I apologise for the way I spoke to you earlier. I didn't realise that I made you feel the way I did, and I didn't mean to imply that you need us to be around you all the time. It's just strange for me to adjust to, having you going on these jobs when they're so dangerous. Most people would run away from it." He speaks quietly, his voice sincere and genuine. You feel yourself becoming conflicted again, but you know you need to apologise as well.

"I'm sorry as well. I didn't consider how it must feel for all of you when I go on jobs, and I was acting childish earlier. I lost my temper, and I shouldn't have." You sigh, feeling his other hand move up to rub your upper arm, his skin warm against yours. "I don't go on the jobs because they're dangerous. I go on them because I want to protect people and stop them from being hurt."

He nods, his expression even. "I know that. It's just taking me time to get used to it, because the first thing my body tells me when I know you're going on a job is to stop you, since you could potentially be hurt on them. I know I have no right to want to do that, but I'm trying to control myself as much as I can."

You feel a surge of shame at that. You're forcing him to stop something that's only natural just because you want things to go your way. "You don't need to do that. I understand that you feel that way, because I feel the same, for you and all of the others. It's not fair of me to ask that you stop, and I wouldn't want you to. All I want is for you to understand that I am safe on the missions, and that you can't be hovering around me when I'm on them."

You manage a small, somewhat sad smile, adding, "Although, I don't think I'm going to be doing many more jobs, to be honest. Lately, I've been too tired. Lucian said it's normal and that he understands, even though I think he wants me to keep it up."

His hands come up to cradle your face, thumbs tracing along your jaw. Your heartbeat falters a little, speeding up at his loving touch, at the way he stands so close that his chest brushes your front. He leans down, resting his forehead against yours. Everything other than him blurs out, fading away in a wave of calmness. A soft breeze blows around you both, warm with the afternoon sun. Strands of his hair sway with the wind, glowing and shifting iridescently in the sunlight.

"It is your choice. If you have been feeling more tired than usual, I would recommend that you rest yourself and focus on your health before the jobs. We admittedly contacted Lucian and informed him that you would possibly be staying with us for the holidays, and he said that it was fine. He said that he would just let other teams handle any jobs that would have been directed to you, since there are other members who would benefit from attempting slightly more difficult jobs."

Near enough three months without jobs. The idea is almost frightening, but at the same time it's a nice thought. It means none of the stress that comes with the jobs, nor the pressure, and it means being able to completely relax while you're here. No more waiting to be woken up in the night getting called out for an emergency job, no more spending days tailing targets or gathering information. Just you and the boys, together.

You heave in a breath, nodding. "Yeah. I think I'm just going to get as much sleep as I can and relax over the holidays, and then I'll take it from there."

He seems somewhat relieved at this, sighing quietly. He continues to hold your face, the pads of his thumbs brushing across your cheekbones. "Thank you. You know we want the best for you, Princess."

You give a smile, although it's a bit weak, that he gives back. He wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you against him, and your arms automatically coil around his neck. He leans back, your feet dangling off the ground, before he starts to walk towards the steps.

When he gets to them, he places a hand on one of your thighs, lifting it over his hip. You get the idea and do the same with the other, allowing him to walk up the steps much more easily. You hang from him like a koala bear, fingers curling into fists to stop them from shaking at the sensation of his hands hooked under your thighs.

He goes back into the living room after closing the front door, with you still hanging onto him. You hear Leo speak first, his tone amused. "Are mummy and daddy still fighting?"

You have to smile at that, and you can feel Byron doing the same as you wriggle your legs free. You stand on your own but don’t detach yourself from him, staying against him. You can feel yourself blushing a bit at the phrase, and what it implies. Byron responds to Leo very calmly, resting his chin atop your head while his hands rest on your sides, thumbs rubbing the skin there gently. "No, we're not fighting anymore."

The fact that he didn't even question the implication makes your blush worsen, insides fluttering madly at the oncoming thoughts and onslaught of emotion. Your hands drift down from his neck to rest on his chest, face now buried in his shirt in an attempt to hide your red skin from the others. Apparently, though, Sid is stood nearby and sees it. He snorts.

"Aw, look. She's going all red. Adorable." You give him the finger without moving your face, instead pushing it against Byron's chest harder.

Sid just howls with laughter, and Byron chuckles. He brings a hand up to feel your cheek, very much warm to the touch, and pride surges through him at the fact that they can make you blush so easily. He tries to ignore the pounding of his heart, caused by Leo’s suggestive words.

The others soon join in with the laughing, and you are practically drowning in embarrassment as you stand there. You spy Louis sat in one of the single armchairs, and you decide that you're going to use him as a shield since Byron isn't really helping. Louis is only smiling. 

So, you pull away from Byron, using your hair to keep your face hidden. Walking over, you reach out to Louis. He grins slightly, his teeth showing just a bit, as he opens his arms for you, allowing you to sit on his knee sideward on. You bury your face in his neck, removing it from the view of the others while they continue to laugh. Louis just keeps smiling down at you softly, curling his arms around your form tightly and resting his face against the side of your own.

"So, where should we go today, or what should we do?" Giles is the first to stop laughing, although there's still amusement in his voice when he speaks.

"I say we go into town and ride around a little, let everyone see the town and then take it from there. I doubt we're going to be able to think of one thing in particular we want to do. Consider this a taster day." Sid's response is logical and well-thought out, and you find yourself nodding. The others must have as well, because you soon hear someone stand up, with Byron announcing simultaneously,

"Well, let's get ready to go, then. Everyone will need a coat with a hood, since there's a chance that it may rain."

You go to sit up, but Louis' grip on you is firm as he tugs you back into him, his hands finding yours and holding them tightly. You grin, lacing your fingers through his. Your legs dangle over the edge of the armchair, your body laying over his lap. Your shift your head to be back against the other arm of the chair, and Louis laughs quietly while he plays with your fingers. He proceeds to bounce his legs a bit, making you move as well. You can't help but giggle, watching him stare down at you lovingly.

"Are you two ready?" Leo's voice interrupts your little game, and you glance up, seeing him stood next to the chair with a cheeky smile. You try to sit up again, but Louis just does the same thing and keeps your held to him closely, not letting you move too far.

"I am," You answer, groaning playfully. "But this one won't let me get up."

Louis just laughs again, his cheeks turning a bit pink as he hugs you. "I wanted a hug from our Princess."

Your smile softens, and you reach up to put your arms around his neck, squeezing him tenderly. "Well, that I can do."

He hums quietly, embracing you closely. He rests his cheek against yours once more. You find yourself giggling again when he pulls back a bit, then bumps your noses together gently.

Leo snorts now, poking Louis' cheek from his place in front of the chair. "Come on, you can hug her later. We need to get going."

Louis sighs at that, his face falling. You kiss his forehead lightly, smiling at him, before you haul yourself to your feet. Leo picks up your bag, with all your essential stuff in it, from next to the armchair, handing it to you. You smile, throwing it over you, before holding a hand out to Louis. He takes it, letting you pull him up, and then keeps hold of it even as you start to follow Leo to the front door.

The others, except for Sid, Byron and Albert, are waiting there, and you see that Giles has one of your coats from where he is stood by the door. You hold your hand out for it, and he gives it to you with a light laugh. His eyes twinkle with amusement, watching you throw it on, switching your hands between holding Louis' and putting it on.

"Shall we go, then?" Giles asks when you're done putting it on, and there is a collective nod from you and the boys. You start to make your way out, swinging your hand with Louis'. Robert hands him his coat as well, and he takes it with a quiet thank you before putting it on. He does the same as you did, making sure he's always holding your hand even while he puts it on.

You both go down the steps, seeing the car from yesterday parked in front of the fountain. It's a seven-seat Toyota Prius Plus, as is Byron's, but the latter has a black one. Said Wagner's is sitting behind it. You can see Sid sat in the driver's seat of his one, with Byron in the driver's seat of his own, with Albert in the passenger seat.

You realise that they didn’t let you see the car yesterday because you would have known that it was Byron’s as soon as you saw it from the outside. You wonder why Sid took Byron’s car instead of his own, and imagine it might have been to do with Sid's fondness of the car in black.

"Who wants to go in which car?" Nico asks, hopping down the steps. "Both can take seven people maximum, but we're better off splitting it halfway, with five in each."

"I'm guessing you want to go with Byron and Albert, and then Princess and Louis seem to be stuck together today, so they're a package deal. How about they go in Byron's car, and us Wysterians go with Sid?" Leo makes quick work of coming up with a plan, and you see no problem with it. You nod, squeezing Louis' hand when he nods as well. Nico's head bobs up and down, and he skips over to Byron's car. The others nod in agreement to the setup.

So, you walk over to Byron's car with Louis, watching Nico open the door and slide it back, then get in and shuffle into the leftmost seat. You slip into the middle seat, Louis following, before he closes the door and you all put your seat belts on. The others get into Sid's car, and Byron speaks as he glances at you in the mirror, smiling slightly. "Ready, Princess?"

You nod with a grin, leaning into Louis when he winds his arm around your waist. His other hand moves to take yours, his fingers lacing through your own as he tucks your head under his chin. You snuggle into him, humming contentedly. His lips curl up at the edges, pressed to your forehead. As Byron calls Sid through the car, since his phone is connected to it, Louis hooks his arm under your legs for a moment, pulling them to rest over his. You chuckle, getting comfy sitting there, half in his lap.

"Sid?" Byron says, watching Sid start to pull away from the mansion, following afterwards. "We'll follow you, so make your way into town. We'll park the cars in the underground if we need to. Just find a space; if it's full, we'll get our own."

"Understood." Sid's voice responds through the speakers. "Are the guards okay to watch the house and close the gates behind us?"

_Guards?_

"Yes, they'll do it once we leave." Byron answers Sid's question, and you look between the boys, trying to understand what's going on. Albert catches your gaze and speaks, his voice neutral.

"We have guards who monitor the grounds of the estate, and they ensure that no one gets in or out without us knowing. They are also the ones who make sure that the gates are locked and that the fences are untouched at all times." That makes sense, although it seems odd, the thought of three teenage boys having guards working for them.

Then again, you get the same thing with the ICAC. You shouldn't be surprised.

"Oh." You nod, looking out of the tinted windows as the cars reach the gates. They roll onto the main path, the gates shutting behind you all. Your eyes are trained on the trees, watching them blur past, listening to Sid and Byron talk.

"So, are we just going to walk around town, get something to eat and make it up as we go?" Sid asks.

Byron shrugs. "That's probably the best way to go about it. That way, we can just see what's there and do anything that we feel like doing." He glances at you, then at Louis and Nico, before looking to Albert. "But we don't have to stay together. If anyone wants to split off and do something on their own, or in a smaller group, that's fine. This is for everyone, so I want everyone to do what they want."

There are nods around the car, and you hear Giles speak from Sid's, through the phone. "Of course. We understand."

You close your eyes now, relaxing against Louis, focusing on his fingers playing with yours. However, you open your eyes when you hear Albert snap something at Nico, seeing the latter trying to hug the former around his chair. You watch with a giggle, seeing them have a slap fight. Byron just shakes his head, following Sid's car.

"Al, Nico, stop it. No fighting in the car." He sighs out, although you know he's probably not actually annoyed with the two.

Albert shoves Nico back, crossing his arms with a scoff. "He instigated it. That was hardly my fault."

Byron seems to be fighting back a smile now. "I know, Al."

You are still giggling at their antics, and you see Albert and Byron look at you in the rear-view mirror. Nico turns to watch you too. You try to stifle the laughter, turning your head into Louis' neck, but he lets go of your hand to raise his own, pulling your face away.

"Don't hide your laugh, Princess. It's beautiful, not to mention adorable." Nico tells you from the side, now laughing with you, and you feel your cheeks heat up from the compliment. The laughs die down after a moment, and you use your hair to hide your face, but you peek through it to look at Albert. You see that he's periodically glancing at you through the rear-view mirror, his cheeks tinted with pink.

You grin. "Al, why are you blushing?"

He immediately chokes, eyes flying to your face. Nico bursts into hysterics, pointing at his brother’s face and slapping his own thigh, cackling. "I am not!" Albert hisses, but the blush is now worsening, and is painfully obvious.

"You are! You're all red!" You counter, grinning widely. Louis chuckles, nuzzling his face in your cheek. 

Albert just mutters something that sounds vulgar, shaking his head. He makes a point of turning his head to the side. He's still blushing intensely, though, and now even Byron is laughing. "As much as I'd like to help, she's not wrong."

Albert shrinks down in his chair at that, seemingly drowning in the attention he's getting. You feel a twinge of guilt for starting it, and you squeeze Louis' hand briefly before sitting forward, momentarily unbuckling your belt. You know Byron won't mind as long as you're quick about it.

You then move forward to wrap your arms around Albert's shoulders, pulling him against you and resting your cheek on top of his head. "Sorry, Al. Forgive me?"

He squirms in your arms, seeming to not know what to do with his own while you are pressing his face into your chest. "I will if you let go of me!"

You just laugh at that, nodding. You move your hands to hold his face, pressing a light kiss to his cheek just to finish him off. You then sit back, doing your seatbelt and putting your legs over Louis' thighs as Albert covers his face with his hands. Nico has been hysterical this whole time, and now he's gasping for breath, watching the brunette near enough die from bodily contact. 

Louis is chuckling as well, and he seems almost proud when you come back to him, kissing your temple. He then moves his legs, shifting them to be pointed more towards the centre of the car and laying on your seat, so that he can lift you into his lap properly. It's slightly awkward because of the seatbelt, but he manages and seems pleased when he's done, your form now cradled in his hold and as close as he can get to you.

The drive, for the most part, consists of Nico and Albert's banter, with occasional input from Byron and yourself, and Louis hugging you tightly. Soon, you see the cars come up on the main part of town, a very modern shopping centre with large buildings built to look very sleek and new, their designs grand. You see a sign as you enter the area, which says, "Welcome to Stein Centre, the heart of our nation."

Sid and Byron drive into the centre, then to a large, white building that you can see is a car park. There are blue lights inside the dark interior, giving the whole building a futuristic look about it. Sid drives in, relaying to Byron that there are no spaces free on the ground floor.

"Yeah, there's nothing up here. Let's go underground." He decides, taking a right towards a spiral ramp going down.

"Go on. We're right behind you." Byron responds, the muscles in his arms more prominent than usual as he turns the wheel and drives onto the ramp.

It's somewhat strange, but also exciting, as you all go down the ramps and into the underground section of the car park. There are some spaces at the back, you see. "Over there, at the back."

Byron nods. "Sid, there are some spaces at the back. Take the corner one, so we're less likely to be hit by someone that can't park well."

"I hear you." Sid replies, driving around before turning the car, then backing up into the space. Byron waits until he's parked to do the same, and a few minutes later, both cars are parked in the corner, facing outwards.

You all take your belts off, and you fasten your coat as Louis does the same. He opens the door when he's done, and you are hit by a blast of cold air. You take Louis' hand when he holds it out to you, helping you out of the car. Nico pulls his zip-up hoodie on while he slides out, fastening it before closing the door. Albert and Byron are out now, and Byron goes to the boot, pulling out his coat and throwing it on. You watch the others do the same, getting their coats or jackets on if they haven't already. Sid locks his car, patting the doorframe with a smirk.

When everyone's done, you have to take a moment to think that this is a really big group. There are ten of you.

You shake your head, stepping closer to Louis, his fingers tightening around yours. Byron locks his car, smiling slightly. "Shall we? I suggest we make our way to the food courts. That way, we can see the fountains and the markets as we go."

Nico starts to bounce where he stands, exclaiming, "Can we run through the fountains? We haven't done it for years! Please?"

Byron just chuckles, ruffling Nico's hair. "Not today. We'll come back another day and bring spare clothes with us, since it's not going to be pleasant, walking around soaking. Especially when it's chilly like this."

Nico makes a face, pouting. You laugh, reaching out squeeze his hand for a moment. He immediately brightens up, not letting it go and coming to stand on your left. 

"Well then, lead on." Giles prompts, smiling from the side.

Byron nods, starting to walk through the car park with Albert beside him. You can see Leo prodding Alyn's arm as they both walk, and can hear Alyn's many insults while he tells him to stop. Robert and Giles are walking together, looking around and seemingly talking to each other about the buildings.

You are about to ask where Sid is when a pair of cool hands take hold of your face from behind, tipping your head back while you walk. You see Sid looking down at you with a smirk, saying coolly, "Just a last little thing, the rule still applies if we see anyone that looks shady. If we reckon they're going to start something, you come to me, 'kay?"

Your mind shifts into understanding. You recall the rule that was made a while ago by you all. In order to maximise the security of the group when you are all out, and to best protect the vulnerable ones, you all have a formation and a procedure should someone dangerous try to start a fight with you all.

You are to go with Sid and stay with him at either the front or the back of the group, with Giles, Leo and Louis in the middle. Surrounding them will be Alyn, Albert, Byron and Nico and Robert.

You nod, trying to walk, hold both Nico and Louis' hands, speak and watch Sid at the same time. "Okay. Just tell me when."

He snorts, nodding. He then releases your face, ruffling your hair and walking behind you. Byron leads you all to the pedestrian ramp out of the underground, then walks through the car park until you're all outside. You look around, taking in all of the people walking around, the different fashions and styles and cultures. It's fascinating, to see how life is so different only two hours from home.

You are broken from your thoughts when Louis starts to walk, tugging you forward to follow Byron. He takes you through a high street, pointing out different shops of interest and essential locations like supermarkets. He looks at ease as he walks around, although you can see that he's as wary as usual, that slightly untrusting look in his eyes as his body language exudes a warning to stay away. Albert's body is the same, although he looks more passive aggressive than anything. Nico seems cheery and isn't openly showing any threatening behaviour, but you know he could snap in a second if he was given a reason.

You sigh quietly, smiling and shaking your head.

_These boys, I swear._

Soon, you walk into a large square, where you see fountains that are buried under the ground, with grates that allow water to shoot into the air. The fountains alternate, almost putting on a show, the water shining in the sunlight. You watch, stunned, as the water shoots across the square, dancing within itself, children laughing and playing in it. The droplets shimmer in the air, cooling your skin with a light spray, people periodically running through the fountain.

Your smile grows, your eyes focusing on a young couple when they lock hands. They sprint through, howling with laughter, soaked by the fountain.

The boys are watching this as well, you see, and Nico is grinning away. He looks down at you, asking, "Want to try it one day?"

Your head bounces up and down in a nod, and he giggles, swinging your hand. Byron rolls his eyes at Nico's attempt at puppy dog eyes, but he's smiling. "Come. Another day, I promise."

He then starts to make his way through the square, around the fountains. Nico releases your hand to skip over to Byron, walking beside him and saying something. They start to speak, and you turn to Sid, murmuring, "Hey, come here. You don't need to walk behind us."

He gives you a smirk, but he does as you say and comes to stand in Nico's place. You don't like any of them being on their own, nor at the back of the group, so you always make sure that there are at least pairs when you're all going somewhere. 

"So, wait, have you been to Stein before?" You ask Sid, looking up at him. He scans the square, one hand in his pocket as he twists his lips.

"Depends on what you'd count as going somewhere. I was here a while ago, getting information for someone who was desperate for it, but I didn't exactly have time to properly look around. I know the basic layout of the city and the centre pretty well, but I only walked around for a little bit while I was trying to get the info." He laughs darkly, eyeing a side street. "Let's just say I've seen the darker side of Stein, rather than the lighter one."

You just nod at that. Sid, as much as you're not fond of it, deals information to people who want it but don't want to or can't do it themselves. He often ends up meeting with less than trustworthy people, many of whom have debatable pasts and criminal records, in order to get the information he's asked for. As a result, he's seen some pretty dark things.

You shake your head. You bring your hand up to briefly hold his forearm, knowing he's not as comfortable with touching people in public, before lowering it again. You get a surprise, though, when his free hand slips around yours, your fingers curled into your palm as his close around them, warming the now chilled skin. You glance up at him, seeing him smirking even more. He grins as he sees your surprise, moving to be walking closer, his arm pressed against yours.

"What's with the face?" He asks. You quickly shake your head, getting rid of your shock, and link your thumb over his; your fingers are still surrounded by his own larger ones.

"Nothing. I just didn't think you'd want to hold my hand. It sort of took me by surprise." You laugh out your response, but his face turns serious. He squeezes your fist, his voice low."

Believe me when I say I want to, I just don't at home because it's likely that we know people when we're out. We don't need any more pressure on you, or any of us, in college by adding to the rumours." You weren't expecting that.

You hold hands with the others when you're out, more because they usually instigate it (Nico, Louis and Leo in particular, with Giles and Robert not as often.) but you've never even considered people from college seeing it. It's never occurred to you that the rumours could come from that.

"Oh." Your voice is soft as you nod. "I hadn't even thought about that."

He smiles now, his expression bitter. "I know. You shouldn't have to. People are just little shits with nothing else to talk about, so they target others. They don't understand us."

You nod at this, mood becoming sombre. "True. Thank you."

He just nods back, gently squeezing your hand again. Louis has been silent the whole time, holding your other hand. Now his thumb rubs over yours, his grip on you tightening. You look up at him, smiling. "You okay?"

He nods, eyelashes casting shadows against his cheeks. He looks down. "Yes. I don't think I like sharing with that one."

You can't help but smile at that, hearing Sid sigh dramatically. "Really, Louis? Stop being such a baby. You can't have her all to yourself."

Louis narrows his eyes, glaring daggers over your head at the taller male. "Neither can you. And I'm not a baby. You can hardly call me one."

Sid snickers, tugging you towards him and a bit away from Louis. "I'm pretty sure I can, you big baby, and I'm doing exactly the opposite of that. I'm sharing, and I'm not complaining about it, unlike one spoilt kid."

Louis is gentler when he pulls you back, retorting, "Stop calling me that. You have no comprehension of sharing."

Sid just lets out a howl of laughter, leaning across you to sneer, "Says the one who immediately started pulling her away, when all I did was move her so that we could share."

Louis freezes in place, and then he bares his teeth, snapping, "That's not what I was doing, you-"

"Guys." Your voice breaks through the arguing, cutting Louis off mid-insult. "Enough. There's no need to argue, and if you keep going, I'm going to go walk with Leo and Alyn. Let's be adults about this, agree to disagree, and drop the subject. You can share, and you can do it without taking digs at each other."

They glare at each other for a moment over your head, but they say nothing more, and eventually look away from each other whilst moving to be closer to you again. You are practically crushed between them, their arms pressed against yours, while they cling onto your hands.  
You sigh again, rubbing your thumbs over theirs in an attempt to calm them down. The same thought runs through your head again.

_These boys, I swear._

It's now that Byron slows, coming to a stop outside what looks like a restaurant. He turns, stopping, and the group does the same. "This restaurant is one of our favourites, and have some truly lovely food. Would we like to go in for dinner?"

Nico nods, bouncing. The others follow, trusting Byron's judgement, and he returns the gesture before entering. You see him speaking to the staff at the door, who grins and takes ten menus from the side, then motions for him to go with her. He trails after her, Albert doing the same, and the rest of you quickly fall into line. Sid and Louis let your hands go when you shift into a single file line, but they remain as close as they can to make up for it.

You are taken to a large booth at the back, one of the larger tables available, and notice with a smile that it's somewhat out of the way. There aren't many other people in the restaurant, and this section of it is virtually empty. The boys slide onto the circular seat, placing you in the middle, as they usually do. From the left to the right, the order is Byron, Albert, Nico, Robert, Sid, you, Louis, Leo, Alyn and Giles.

The menus are given out, and you scan through the food, wondering what you should have. You internally scream with joy, seeing your favourite meal available, and seeing that it's not very expensive at all. You grin, looking through the drinks and settling on your preferred beverage. You sit back, taking in the modern, bright décor of the restaurant, noticing the full-length glass walls on the side where the sun is coming in. It's nice and warm inside, but the air isn't thick, rather quite thin like it's being filtered.

"What are you going to get, Princess?" Louis' quiet voice asks from the side. You grin, showing him what you're getting.

"What are you having?" You respond, watching him point out the fish in batter. You nod, smiling, before you sit back again.

It's now that Sid puts his arm around your waist, pulling you into his warm side as he rests one of his legs on his other thigh. "What'cha getting, Princess?" You show him on the menu, and he nods, smirking. "Good."

"Sid." Louis murmurs from the side, scowling. "Share."

Sid just waves him off, pressing his mouth to your temple, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You've had her all morning. Let me have a turn."

Louis scoffs. "Yes, and you had her all of yesterday."

Sid lets out a low, deep chuckle, one that rumbles through his chest and into you from the side. His lips and breath are warm on your face when he speaks again, his voice smug and throaty. "I guess I did. Whoops."

"Sid," Giles' voice breaks into the conversation, making Sid glance up at him. "You and Louis are evidently unable to share her, so I suggest you move. Sid, switch places with Robert, and Louis switch with Leo. This is our first day out. I don't want it to be full of arguing because you two can't settle your differences."

The two immediately seem offended at how they're being treated, but after some quiet threats and grumbling, they move, glaring at each other heatedly across the table. You smile at Robert and Leo as they sit on either side of you, getting smiles back. Robert threads his fingers through yours, massaging your hand gently, and Leo moves to lean towards you, hooking his arm around your shoulders. He grins as he plays with the collar of your coat, humming,

"This is how you share, you two. You should take notes." Sid growls at that, and Louis frowns as he crosses his arms, avoiding looking anywhere near Leo.

Robert chuckles, seeing your head fall back against the booth as he continues to rub your hands and fingers soothingly. "Are you alright, Princess?"

You nod, grinning at him. "Mm hm. That feels nice. It's really relaxing."

There are several laughs at that, and Robert nods, keeping his movements gentle but firm. "Then I shall keep doing it."

You beam at him now, chirping, "Thank you. You should be a masseuse."

Another laugh bursts out of him, his eyes crinkling at the edges with laughter. His smile stuns you. "Maybe not - I don't think I could do this all day. For you, possibly, but not as a job."

You find yourself blushing a bit at that, and you drop your head onto Leo's arm, resting on your shoulder. "You should definitely be an artist, then. You're so talented."

His own cheeks gain a tint of pink at that, and he runs his free hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face. "I wouldn't say that..."

"She's right, you know." Leo adds, winking at you. "She always is, but you're seriously gifted in the arts. Don't waste what you've got. You enjoy it, too, and that says that it's something you should consider."

Robert nods, his face flushed as he tries to laugh off the attention. 

However, he's quickly saved, when the waitress returns with a bright smile. "Have you all decided what you're having?"

There are nods, and you give your orders in, feeling sorry for her while she tries to keep up with them all. They're soon finished, though, and she pops off to give them to the chef and cooks.

You eventually get a bit hot, with the warmth from the room and the boys so close to you, and you take your coat off with a relieved sigh. Some of the boys have already done this, with the likes of Alyn and Nico having taken theirs off upon entering the restaurant. Leo grins at you when you throw the coat over the back of the seats, singing,

“It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes." You shake your head, sticking your tongue out at him.

"So take off all your clothes, and get arrested." He makes a face at that, but he quickly brings a smirk back before replying smoothly,

"Maybe, but if you keep sticking your tongue out like that, I might just take it." You can't stop the blood that floods into your cheeks at that, and you duck your head, hiding your face. You press your hand to your mouth.

"Leo!" You groan, feeling him watching you closely for your reaction.

"Yes?" He replies, like it's the most casual thing in the world, and you risk a glance around the group. The others are staring at Leo, eyes narrowed and warning, pointedly not happy with what he just said. He seems to be deliberately ignoring the looks, keeping his eyes on you while you try to cool your face. "Aw, look at you, Princess. You're so adorable when you get all embarrassed."

You give up trying to use your hands now, and you retreat to Robert, pressing your face into his shoulder. "Hide me."

He lets out a breathy laugh, although you feel like he's still watching Leo as he speaks, his arm curling around your middle. "Of course, Princess. Just ignore him."

You hear Leo mock an offended gasp. "Why, what did I do? I'm just joking, calm down. She knows I'm just messing with her. Let's all lighten up a bit."

Alyn speaks now, having been unnaturally quiet near enough all day. "Leo, you know what we agreed to-"

"Alyn, I know." Leo's voice is almost sharp now, in a way you've never heard when directed at his brother. "I'm completely aware of that. I'm staying within the boundaries of the agreement. Now, let's all shush about the thing that we said we weren't going to talk about in front of her, because we can't, and it's just cruel to."

There is silence for a moment. It's an odd sensation, feeling out of place and confused whilst being simultaneously, completely at ease. You don't like hearing them talking in code, skirting around saying what they've spoken about. You understand why Leo said it's cruel; it's dangling the answer to your questions in front of your face, but never letting you reach them.

After a few seconds, Byron stands, getting his phone out. He checks something, then puts it away. He moves his gaze to Leo. "Leo, come with me for a moment."

Leo lets out a groan, sinking down in his chair before dropping his head onto your shoulder. "Daddy's going to kill me." He mumbles, his voice playfully childish. Despite the tension in the room, you find yourself smiling.

"You know he loves you really. Go talk to him." You manage to make your voice a lot stronger and more convincing than you expected, and you internally sigh in relief when he nods, standing up. He shuffles out of the booth, following Byron as he takes off deeper into the restaurant, out of sight within seconds.

And then it gets awkward again. The boys seem stuck, unsure of what to say. You clear your throat, laughing out, "Well, this is a bit awkward. Is everyone okay? Did Leo do something wrong?"

The boys share looks with each other, all of them almost daring each other to speak. Finally, Albert breaks the silence, answering you quietly, "Not quite. He's just walking on a very fine line that we drew for a specific reason, and I imagine Byron wishes to reiterate the importance of that line."

So, it is like you thought. You nod. "A very fine line, about the thing I can't know about." Albert looks like your conclusion almost hurts him. He coughs, adjusting his glasses and looking away from you. He nods back, though. "Okay. Well, let's just forget about it. There's no point dwelling on it if you can't sort it out, or not here, at least."

They seem to look guilty at that, and Robert sighs as he kisses your temple. "We're sorry, Princess. It must be strange, having us act like this."

You quickly shake your head, smiling up at him even though he can't see your face. "It's fine. I get it - you need to sort it out yourselves. I just don't really know how to react when things like this happen, since I have no clue what's going on."

He nods, rubbing your side and hip soothingly. "If all goes to plan, this won't go on for much longer. We've nearly figured it all out."

You are admittedly quite glad about that. Not knowing has been killing you. "Okay. Well, make sure you're all happy with whatever decision you come to make."

He lets out a long, hearty laugh at that, nodding again before kissing your hair. "You're too sweet, Princess. We will."

You just smile, happy to know that the problem is being solved.

A few minutes of gradually lessening the tension in the booth later, Byron comes back with Leo trailing behind him, the latter’s hands in his pockets and his expression smug. He slides into his seat again, crossing his legs. You raise an eyebrow at him, silently asking if he's okay and what happened, but he just gives you a grin and shakes his head. You look to Byron, seeing him smiling ever so slightly to himself while he sits down, murmuring to Albert. 

It doesn't take long for the food to come out after this, and you can practically see Sid and Alyn drooling at the sight of it. It takes some shuffling about and a plethora of insults, but finally everyone has their food and the tension has dissipated completely. You all start eating, and it's like heaven from the first bite. The food is delicious, not at all greasy and not overcooked, but still full of flavour. 

Halfway through eating, another waiter, a handsome boy with coppery hair and jade eyes, comes over. "Hey, guys. Is everything okay with the food? Do you want any more drinks?"

Leo and Giles get more drinks, but otherwise everyone is happy with the food, and the waiter gives you all a dazzling smile before he nods. "I'll go and get them for you. Enjoy the rest of your meal!"

As he picks up the empty glasses and pulls back, you smile at him instinctively. He flashes you a grin, winking, and the emerald hue of the eye that you can see sparkles in the lights. He then walks away, leaving you somewhat stunned and unsure of what to do. You stare at his back until he's out of sight, noticing that the boys have also paused.

You try to think of something to say, stuck between feeling awkward, oddly flattered and embarrassed. "Did he just...?"

Leo nods, his pasta inches away from his mouth. "He did. I commend him on his technique."

You whip around to stare at him, exclaiming, "Leo!"

He shrugs. "What? He's got to have some balls to do that, when there are nine guys sat quite literally all around you. He did it well." He frowns now, popping the pasta into his mouth and swallowing. "But still, that doesn't mean that I'm happy he did it."

You don't know what it is that sets you off, but just seeing Leo's child-like expression, and watching him pout even while he eats his pasta, sends you into a peal of laughter. You can feel the stares of the boys as you cover your mouth, laughing away at the hilarity of what just happened.

Then, as the boys share looks, trying to work out what you're laughing at, you are sent deeper into a fit of giggles, to the point where you have to put your fork down and cover your face as your shoulders shake. You can hear Nico laughing from his seat, probably more at than with you, but that's okay. As long as it distracts them from their displeasure about the waiter, you're happy.

You eventually calm yourself, wiping away tears of laughter before you return to your food. You have taken one bite when you look up, seeing Nico now giggling away at Albert and Byron's clueless expressions. You fight back another laughing fit, instead occupying your mouth with food.

"You okay, Princess?" Alyn's almost bewildered voice asks from the side. You nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a giggly moment, sorry." You apologise, feeling a bit awkward now that you realise that no one else was laughing.

"Why are you apologising?" Giles questions, his head tilted to the side curiously. "There's nothing wrong with it. If anything, we're glad you're enjoying yourself. I think you just surprised us, since we were worried that you may have felt uncomfortable with the way the waiter winked at you."

You blink, shaking your head. "I don't really know. I guess I was confused, but I'm not really bothered about it. He's not really doing any harm, since he wasn't an idiot about it." You raise your eyebrows, shrugging. "It just made me laugh, the look on Leo's face. He looked so put out."

Leo grumbles next to you, staring at his pasta. You pat his shoulder comfortingly, proceeding to finish your food. The waiter comes back with the drinks a few minutes later, and you almost burst out laughing; he pointedly avoids looking at the boys, instead focusing his smile on you. You snicker, seeing the disgruntled expressions the boys have when he leaves, unaffected by their efforts.

And then, when you're done, you sigh contentedly and sit back, stretching like a cat. "Oh my God, that was so nice. This is my new favourite restaurant."

There are several laughs at that, and Byron gives you a rare grin. "I'm glad. We quite like it here ourselves, so I'm happy that you enjoy it as much as we do."

You hum at that, and Leo reaches down to poke your stomach, making you jump and sit up, slapping at his hand. His mouth twitches up. "You having dessert, Princess?"

You think for a moment. You want to get something, but then you're leaning towards no, since you're quite full from the meal and don't want to make yourself feel sick later. You decide to air on the side of caution. "No, I don't think so. I'm a bit full."

He nods, then reaches out to grab your waist, tugging you against him as he folds his leg to the side. He's now sat sideward on, with his arm draped over the back of the booth, and you sit with your back against his chest. "I should probably do that, but I saw cheesecake on the menu and I don't have the self-control."

You laugh at that, shaking your head and leaning back into him. "Terrible, Crawford. Go find some self-restraint." You joke, hearing him snickering behind you while he takes your right hand in his. His fingers idly wind in and out of yours, rubbing over your palm every now and again.

"Nah. No self-restraint means dessert." He chuckles out. Alyn rolls his eyes across the table, and Leo gives another mock-offended gasp. "Little brother, don't tell me you're not going to have dessert?"

Alyn scowls, sitting back and crossing his arms. "I'm not. I'm full, and I don't want to get into the habit of it."

Leo moans, dropping his head against the back of the booth dramatically. "Oh, screw you all being healthy."

Robert pipes up now, chuckling out, "Worry not, Leo. I'll join you in being unhealthy."

Giles nods, eyes skimming over the dessert part of the menu. "As will I."

"Me too!" Nico jumps in, grinning away as he looks up at Byron. "Please? I haven't had dessert in a restaurant in ages." Byron stares at him for a moment, and Nico's grin turns slightly sheepish. He rubs the back of his neck. "I'm a growing boy and need sugar?"

Byron raises an eyebrow, but then he nods, smiling at Nico. "You know, you keep asking me if you can do these things, but I have relinquished my control over you. It's your choice. I don't mind."

Nico beams, swiping a menu and looking through it as he says, "I know. I'm just used to asking you, and it's hard to stop myself. Thank you, Byron!"

Albert speaks now, putting a hand on Nico's head and pressing down on him. Nico squirms, trying to escape, as Albert mutters, "But that does not mean gorge yourself every chance you get. Don't abuse the power you have."

"Al!" Nico whines, slipping out from Albert's hand by leaning back against Sid's thighs, much to the latter's surprise. Nico holds his hands up, seemingly ready to karate chop Albert out of the room if he tries to stop him from getting dessert. "I won't gorge myself! I just haven't had dessert from a restaurant, let alone here, in years! Trust me!"

Albert just shakes his head at that. "Trust you. Right."

Nico grins, slowly sitting up from Sid as he decides on what he wants. The said male taps the table, saying, "Fuck it. I'm having dessert too."

You glance at Louis, wondering if he is, and he shakes his head. "I'm full."

You nod, leaning back. "Albert, Byron, are you two getting dessert?"

Albert shakes his head. Byron studies the menu, nodding after a few seconds. "Yes. I did more than enough training this morning."

You have to roll your eyes at that. "You're mad."

He sends you a smile, watching as the waiter from before returns. "Quite possibly." The waiter smiles brightly, looking around the table for the first time.

"Are we all done?" He asks. When you all nod, he starts to collect the plates, piling them up so that he can carry them. "And do we want any desserts or extras? More drinks?"

When Byron nods, he gets out his notepad, starting to write down the orders as he goes around the group. He runs through the orders to check that they're right, then nods with a grin, taking six of the plates to the kitchen. He comes back for the rest, giving you another stunning smile, before he leaves.

"My God." Byron breathes, watching him walk away with his eyebrows raised. "He's not exactly subtle, is he?"

Albert shakes his head, repositioning his glasses. "Not in the slightest. It's rather unprofessional, if you ask me."

You smile amusedly, taking in the disapproving looks the boys have. "Oh, come on. At least he's being nice. Sometimes the waiters and waitresses are awful and make you want to leave. At least he's being pleasant."

"While that is true," Giles replies, sighing softly. "I don't think I like the way he looks at you."

Alyn shakes his head. "I don't trust that smile. I've seen it too often, and it usually ends badly."

You can only shake your head, closing your eyes and letting your head fall against Leo's collarbone. "You're reading into it too much. It's not like he's going to do anything, and even if he did, I could kick his arse so fast he wouldn't have time to see it fly to Protea."

There are chuckles at that, and you can practically feel Alyn and Albert rolling their eyes.

After a few minutes, the desserts arrive, and you get off of Leo to let him eat. He grins, digging into his cheesecake straight away and humming happily. You watch this with a smile, idly working out how much everything will cost as the others eat. You nod to yourself. You can pay for that easily. 

"Princess," You hear Giles say from across the table, and you glance over at him with a smile. He gives you one back, teeth flashing in the light. "Have you ever had gateau before?"

You think on that for a moment, feeling like you have but not recently. "I think I have, but I can't remember what it tastes like."

He nods, putting some of his cake on his fork and offering it to you across the table. "Try it. It's absolutely divine, and I think you will enjoy it greatly."

You feel somewhat awkward as you lean over, letting him lift the fork to your mouth. You take the cake, sitting back and immediately closing your eyes. The cake is moist in a way that makes it resemble mousse, and the flavour is sweet but not awfully rich. 

You sigh contentedly, nodding and swallowing the cake. "That's gorgeous." You comment when your mouth is empty, seeing Giles grin at you.

"I thought you might like it. It truly is delicious." You nod again at his response, but you feel a sweat drop coming on when Leo taps your arm, holding up a piece of cheesecake to you. 

"Here, try this too." You go to protest, but he takes advantage of it, popping the cake into your mouth as it opens. You frown at him, watching him watch you with a satisfied look. To be fair, the cake is really nice, and you can't continue frowning as the sweet taste sinks into your tongue."

Okay, that's really good too." You say after swallowing, then look around the boys, adding, "But no more now. Seriously, I'll feel sick later."

They do as you ask, and you converse with the ones who aren't having dessert as they others eat. Not too long later, they finish, and there is a collection of sighs and content moans as they all take a moment to appreciate the pleasant meal. You chuckle at this, then catch the eye of the waiter when he goes past, sneakily starting to pull your credit card out of your bag.

"Can we have the bill, please?" You ask him quietly, while the others are talking amongst themselves. He nods, grinning and popping off to the desk to get it. 

"Princess..." Leo eyes your hand in your bag. "What are you doing?"

You still, smiling at him innocently. "Just looking at my phone." You pull your phone out, hiding your card on the side opposite to Leo, but shifting your body so Robert won't notice if he looks. "See?"

He narrows his eyes, giving you a suspicious look. "Yeah, okay."

You check the phone idly anyway, looking through your notifications while you pointedly ignore Leo's stare. The waiter comes back at this point with the bill, and you speak quickly, before the others can catch on to what you're doing. "Here, I've got it."

He seems to realise that you're trying to be unnoticed in paying, and he nods as you slip the card out, handing it to him. Leo tries to grab for it, but you whack his hand, pushing it down. You smile innocently. "Ignore him. He's being stupid."

The waiter just laughs, seemingly not bothered by Leo's partial assault. The said boy glares at you, going to speak, but you cover his mouth before he gets the chance. He squirms and tries to get you off, eyeballing the waiter while he puts your card in the reader. Byron gives you a wide-eyed look.

"Princess, what are you doing? Whose card is that?" He asks.

You stand up when the waiter gives you the small machine, punching your PIN in before anyone can stop you. There are several shouts of protest when you do this, and Leo reaches up, a hand grabbing at the machine as another grips your waist. However, he's unable to get it off you, and the transaction goes through successfully. The waiter finishes it, giving you the receipt and your card back, and you grin at him. "Thank you!"

He beams back, giving a nod before he steps back. "Of course. Thank you for dining with us!"

He then walks away, and you sit down, your expression smug. You put your card away, feeling the glares rolling from the boys, but you ignore them. Instead, you sit back, scrolling through your emails while you laze against the back of the booth. "Stop glaring at me. It's not working."

There's a growl from the side, and you can feel Albert's eyes throwing daggers at you. "You weren't supposed to pay."

You snort, not looking away from your phone. "Tragic."

Byron groans, and you see his head fall back against the booth. He rubs a hand over his face. "Princess, you can't just..."

You raise an eyebrow now, sending him a challenging look. You lower your phone. "Why not? Why shouldn't I pay?"

He seems to select his words very carefully, speaking slowly. "Because I elected to bring you all here, and was planning on paying for everything. That was one of the main elements of this stay."

You just laugh, putting your phone away and crossing your arms. "Well, I didn't know that. Even then, consider this my show of appreciation for letting us stay. Or part of it, anyway. I might do it again. I might not. Who knows?"

Leo rubs his palm against his forehead, sighing heavily. "If you dare even consider doing that again, I'm going to kill you."

"I second that." Alyn agrees, scowling at you from the side.

"Me too. I'll hide the body." Sid chips in, leaning forward and reaching out to lightly whack your head. You slap his hand as it retreats, giving him your own glare.

"I'll erase her records." Albert mutters, adjusting his glasses.

"Geez, thanks. Nice to know you've got my murder planned out." You sigh, tipping your head back. "It's no big deal."

Robert speaks now, taking your hand from where it rests atop your bicep and rubbing your fingers soothingly. "It is to us, Princess."

Your eyes roll to his face, daring him to rise up and fight you. "And would it bother you if it was one of the others who paid? Was everyone planning on paying, and stopping everyone else? Hm?" He hesitates, and you know what the answer is without even hearing it. "If Byron tried to pay, were you planning on stopping him? Would you have stopped Giles?"

He winces, knowing you've got him. You find yourself smirking. "Exactly."

You hear a murmuring of responses at that, including at least three insults along with several sighs of your name.

"You know, Princess," Sid laughs out, shaking his head almost in exasperation. "Most people would jump at not having to pay for dinner."

You shrug, absently closing your bag, fingers fiddling with the clasp. "Well, I don't, and I don't think it's a bad thing. Sue me."

He lets out another howl of laughter at the finality of your response, downing the last of his drink. "Well said, Princess."

Byron sighs again, looking around the group. From the look in his eyes as they touch on you, you don't know whether he's amused or annoyed with you. "Are we all ready to go?"

**♡♔♡**


	7. Part VIII | A Race, Ultimatum, and the Second Night.

**♡♔♡**

**_Previously:_ **

_"You know, Princess," Sid laughs out, shaking his head almost in exasperation. "Most people would jump at not having to pay for dinner."_

_You shrug, absently closing your bag, fingers fiddling with the clasp. "Well, I don't, and I don't think it's a bad thing. Sue me."_

_He lets out another howl of laughter at the finality of your response, downing the last of his drink. "Well said, Princess."_

_Byron sighs again, looking around the group. From the look in his eyes as they touch on you, you don't know whether he's amused or annoyed. "Are we all ready to go?"_

**♡♔♡**

There are nods from around the booth, and he nods back before standing up. He pulls his coat on as the others start to do the same, and after several minutes, you all have your coats on and are out of the restaurant. You pull your hood up to be covering your neck more, feeling the biting, whipping chill of the wind against your skin. You notice that Albert is still glaring at you, and Byron keeps glancing at you every few seconds while you all get yourselves ready to go.

You ignore them, instead going to Sid when he holds his hand out to you. You take it, feeling him tug you into a hug, his fingers sliding down your arm before coiling around your back. You rest your head against his chest, grateful for the shield against the wind, but you can't escape the shivers that run down your spine as his hand presses against the small of your back. Your fingers curl into his coat, the solid muscle of his chest warm and strong against the back of them. He chuckles lowly, kissing your hair. His other hand rubs your upper back.

"Cold?" He asks quietly, smirking against the top of your hair. Your shrug, somewhat chilly but better in his grip. He makes a sound of acknowledgement, although it strongly resembles a snicker, before he wraps you in his coat and puts his arms around you again. "You're going to be the death of us, Princess."

You just smile, breathing in his strong, musky smell as you close your eyes and nod. "I know."

He laughs again at that, looking up when Byron surveys the food courts. You open your eyes, watching from the side as he speaks to everyone.

"Well, we have several options available to us. As we can see here," He gestures to an interactive board which shows a map of the shops and stores available, as well as the events going on around the centre. "We have many shops we can look around in, and there are a variety of shows going on. For example, there is an artist playing at the main stage in the middle of the centre, along with some other performances dotted around. What do we want to do?"

You say nothing, wanting the boys to decide since you usually do. Sid remains silent too, simply shrugging while he looks around. You see Giles and Robert give each other a look, and then they laugh softly, as if there is some joke between them. Leo looks to Alyn, who shrugs, looking the other way. Nico just hums, skipping over to stand next to Byron, while Albert continues to study the board. Louis lowers his gaze, his expression unreadable to most, but you guess he's just staying quiet because everyone else is.

"Louis," Your voice is gentle when you speak, and you smile at he looks to you. "Do you want to go anywhere?"

He looks somewhat uncomfortable upon seeing everyone looking to him. He shakes his head. "Not really." He then puts his hands in his pockets, raising and dropping his shoulders. "It's just a bit loud here. There are a lot of people."

Byron seems relieved to have something to work from, nodding quickly. "I agree. It's rather crowded on this level. Shall we go to the top and see if it's less populated on the steps, where the other fountains are?"

There is a simultaneous nod from you all. Byron starts to walk towards the glass doors to outside, where there are bridges leading up to the top level of the centre. Sid squeezes you gently, kissing the crown of your head again, before he takes your hand and follows behind the group.

Byron, Albert and Nico are walking together, with Alyn and Leo behind them, and then Giles, Robert and Louis are behind them. You and Sid are at the back as you walk in a comfortable silence, your body close to his and his hand enveloping yours.

A thought occurs to you, and you glance up at him. "So, how's the light side of Stein? Is it nicer than the dark side?"

He snorts, nodding and rubbing his thumb over yours. You feel his ring, on his index finger, pressing into your knuckle. "Yeah, it's a lot more pleasant, I've gotta say. I like it." He looks down at you, smirk still strong. "How are you liking it, Princess? You happy?"

You nod without hesitation. You're more than happy. "I love it here. I'm really happy, and I'm really grateful for being able to stay here."

He grins, eyes lighting up. "Good. I'm glad; we've had a hard-going year, so it's good that you get a break and can relax with us."

You return the grin, beaming at him. You gently butt your head against his upper arm. "Definitely."

You are both distracted by the sound of Alyn shouting, near enough growling at Leo, "Are you kidding me? You can't run for shit. I'd beat you in a race any day."

Leo gasps, seeming actually offended this time. "Hey, I can run! Not for very long, but I can!"

Alyn rolls his eyes. "Of course you can. Idiot."

Leo narrows his eyes at his twin, purses his lips, then responds in a challenging voice. "Let's have a race, then."

Alyn's head snaps to the side. "You're joking." Leo raises an eyebrow, mouth twitching up, and Alyn's scowl becomes ten times stronger. "You're going to get your ass kicked."

Leo just nods. "I know. I can still try." He turns to Byron. "Can we? It'll only be short, just to the fountains."

Byron looks around, then nods. "Yes. There aren't many people around, and they are just sitting around, so as long as you're careful you should be fine."

Leo nods, passing his phone to Giles, who takes it with an amused smile. Alyn just shakes his head, zipping up his jacket before he gives his phone to Robert. 

It's at this point that Sid leans down, whispering in your ear, "You should run through them in the middle of the race. You can probably beat them, since it'll scare the shit out of them if they're not expecting it."

You grin at him, an evil glint in your eyes. "Good idea."

You then squeeze his hand before letting go, quietly walking past Robert, Giles and Louis to stand in the middle of Leo and Alyn. You stay out of their sight, but ready yourself to run as Byron counts down for them. "Ready?" They nod, and Byron glances at you curiously, but says nothing when you press a finger to your lips. "Three, two, one-"

Before he can finish, you take off, bolting through the Crawford twins and making a beeline for the steps. Your footsteps pound away against the floor as you tense your muscles up, racing forward and away from the group. You hear a scuffle behind you, followed by a plethora of cusses and snapped words.

"Fuck, don't let her win!" You hear Alyn shout.

"I'm trying! Stop talking and run!" Leo responds, sounding breathless already.

You're close to the fountains ahead of you now, maybe only fifteen feet away. You don't get there, though, as a pair of steel-like arms scoop you up by your waist, locking around your torso and forcing you against a hard chest. You cry out as you are lifted up, feet off the ground. Someone else runs past you. From the tension in the arms around you, and the panting as the person runs past, Alyn's restraining you while Leo is running.

"Goddamnit." Alyn growls, your head falling against the back of his shoulder. He shifts you to be higher up. "You made me lose."

You can't help but cackle at that, exclaiming, "Hey, you didn't have to stop me! I wasn't part of the race anyway; I couldn't have made you lose even if I got there first!"

He freezes for a moment, processing this. He then groans, setting you on your feet but not letting you go. "For fuck's sake." You watch as Leo reaches the fountains, whooping and fist-pumping before bending over to catch his breath. "Look at him. He's never going to let me live this down."

You giggle at the frustration in his voice, placing your hands over his where they rest on your sides. You tip your head back again, staring up at him as you say, your voice now somewhat sheepish, "Sorry. Forgive me?"

He stares down at you for a moment, his blood eyes calculating and sharp for a moment. Just when you are starting to genuinely worry that you've fucked up, a sudden, hard flick to your forehead breaks you out of it. You yelp, your hand flying up to touch the spot. He scoffs. "Yeah, whatever."

He then tightens his grip on your waist, lifting you up again before he walks to Leo. You glance back at Sid, grinning, and see him give you a thumbs-up as he smirks back. You laugh when Alyn gets to Leo, sitting down on the large, white steps. They curl around a circular fountain, which has a large statue of what you know is a previous king in its centre. The air is filled with water particles, and you can feel them spraying on you lightly.

Alyn tugs you down to sit between his legs, his arms still around your middle. He leans down, pulling you into him more, his warm torso now surrounding your smaller frame. His lips are at your ear as he sighs, his breath tickling the skin when he grumbles, "You made me lose, so you're staying with me now."

You just grin again, letting out a laugh as you nod and shuffle back, getting comfy. You feel him still as you do this, but you try to ignore it, letting your head fall into the crook of his neck. "I can live with that."

_This is a little bit out of character for Alyn. Scratch that, this is cosmically out of character; he doesn’t really do public displays of affection, and yet he’s sitting here with me leaning against him in full view of the others and strangers. What the hell’s going on?_

You try not to think too deeply about this, coming to the conclusion that maybe he’s more relaxed because he’s in a different country to home.

The others are at the fountains now, and they situate themselves around you both, Nico plopping down on the edge of the water basin.

Leo chuckles, reaching out to poke Alyn's cheek. He jerks back, baring his teeth, when Leo sings, "I won! I beat Alyn! Look who didn't get his ass kicked!"

Alyn rolls his eyes, snarling, "Yeah, because this one cheated." You go to correct him, in that he assumed and screwed himself over without you needing to do much. However, he sees this and quickly stops you, clapping a hand over your mouth. His other arm locks around your middle. "This one definitely cheated."

You huff. You know that he'll let you go if you lick his hand, though, so you poke your tongue out, letting it briefly touch his palm. He pulls it away swiftly, making a face at you. You snort. You then smile at him innocently, to which he shakes his head with a roll of his eyes. "Classy."

You wink, replying, "Of course."

He just makes a face again, proceeding to shove you up and onto your feet, away from him. "Ew, someone else take her. She licked me."

You just hold your hand up to him as Byron, Leo, Louis and Nico all reach out to you at once, starting to walk to them. Nico bounces in his place, grabbing at you.

"I'll take her!" He chirps brightly, beaming at you.

Byron smiles, although it's bordering on a smirk. You find yourself shivering at his words, heart thumping wildly. "I will have her, gladly. I need to tell her off properly for paying."

However, a hand clamps down on your wrist before you can even take two steps towards them, and you are swung back, the back of your knees hitting Alyn's legs. He pulls you again, making you tumble back onto his lap, his arm stopping you from falling completely. You let out a cry as he catches you, then curls his arms around you, snapping at the others, "I'm kidding, fuck off."

There is a collective "Ooooh" sound from the others, and Leo waves his hands about as he cheers, "Hey, look at Alyn getting all possessive. Didn't think you were the type, little brother."

Alyn scoffs, putting his chin on your head. "I'm not being possessive. She made me lose, and this is what she gets for it."

Sid snorts, chortling into his hand. "Kinky."

Alyn gives Sid the finger at that, not looking at him. You giggle, feeling him start to fiddle with your coat, his hands resting on your side and hip.

You all stay there for a while, just talking or playing, or trying to beat high scores on games on your phones. You remain in Alyn's lap, snuggling into his warmth. He lets you, not even saying anything as you bury your face in his throat and play with the zip on his jacket. He bounces his legs periodically, drawing quiet giggles from you that make him smile a bit.

"Louis," Byron says after a while, the group quietening in response. "Are you feeling better up here? It's a bit quieter, at least."

Louis nods, smiling slightly at him. "Yes, I'm much better now. Thank you."

Byron nods back, looking up at the sky. "Good. I myself don't like crowded places, and it is rather lively here. It's nice to be able to get away from all of the noise."

Alyn speaks now, so quietly that only you can hear him as he murmurs in your ear, "Comfy, Princess? You're not falling asleep, are you?"

You laugh at that, nodding. "I'm really comfy - you're nice and warm. But no, I'm not falling asleep."

He lets out a snort, pulling you into him closer before he puts his hand on your thigh. You wonder if he notices your muscles tense up under his touch, heat spreading through your skin where his hand is. He doesn't outwardly react, so you smile again and shift to be in a more comfortable position. You place a hand over his heart, where his jacket opens. You can feel it pumping, strong and steady, under the skin, although it seems to beat faster after a second.

You try to bite back the thoughts that flood your mind. Your chest aches for the briefest second.

Eventually, you all decide to go have a look around the shops, and Alyn pats your knee. You stand up, feeling him do the same behind you, before he then takes your hand and holds it tightly. You squeeze it, seeing his cheeks turning slightly pink, but he doesn't let go. You chuckle at his shyness, starting to walk after the others. You and Alyn are at the back now, but Leo joins you both, twining his fingers through yours on your free hand. You see Alyn scowl at him, getting an innocent smile in return that he shakes his head at.

After a painful trip into the Disney shop, where Nico and Leo attempt to get you to try on the princess dresses, you breathe a sigh of relief. You find yourself clinging onto Alyn while he swats the terrible two away. He huffs, pulling you towards the sound of drums and shouting in one of the smaller squares.

The streets quickly fill with people as you come up on what looks like a stage, where there is a troop of dancers performing. The music is loud and heavy, the rhythm of it solid, booming through the speakers. Alyn tightens his grip on your hand, guiding you around the edges of the crowd to an empty space.

When you get there, he sighs and leans against the wall of one of the shops, pulling you against him so that your back is against his chest. He wraps his arms around your middle, his chin on your head once more. He exhales deeply.

The others catch up now, and they quickly position themselves around you both as they start to watch the dancers. You stare at the performers in awe, seeing them flipping each other and throwing the smaller dancers around, then building human sculptures in time with the music. They move so gracefully, like fluid, and there are near enough no errors in their forms when they move. It's entrancing, your eyes unable to move from them.

Too soon, they finish performing, and a singer comes on. Her voice is strong but lulling, the kind to get into your head and send you to sleep in seconds. You close your eyes, listening to the beautiful sound. You focus on Alyn's arms around you, his hands on your sides, massaging the skin and creating a fluttering sensation in your chest.

A few more performances later, you all move on. You spend another hour or so just walking around, having a look at the different shops. Soon, though, everyone seems to be getting a bit tired, especially as the sun starts to go down and the sky turns a brilliant fiery red.

"Well," Byron says, eyeing Nico's sleepy form and seeing him rub his eyes tiredly. "I think we're all a bit worn out. Are we done for the day?"

Everyone nods at that, and he chuckles. "Alright. We can come back again another day if we wish to, and we do have all summer. Let's start walking back to the car park."

You all move into a more orderly formation again, Byron, Nico and Albert taking the spear point. Then, it's Giles, you and Robert, with Leo and Alyn behind you two, and Sid and Louis bickering endlessly at the back. You feel very secure with Giles and Robert, as they hold your hands and stay close to you; they were the first ones you spoke to, and were the ones who helped you to construct the group you have today. Without them, this wouldn't be possible.

"So," You say, looking between the two. "Do you like Stein? Robert, I know you've been here before, but I can't remember you ever coming here, Giles."

Robert nods, a kind smile on his face. "Yes, I've been before, but it's always just as beautiful. Every time, it takes my breath away without fail. It's a truly stunning country."

Giles sighs contentedly at that, watching the life around you all as you come up on the car park. "I've never been before, but it really is a lovely place. I wouldn't mind living here myself."

Robert's eyes graze over the town hall when you go past it, twinkling and sparkling as he looks it over. "The architecture is amazing here. All of the buildings hold so much history, so many stories... it's fascinating."

You nod at that, understanding what he means. You're keen to learn more about Stein, since it's a notoriously mysterious nation and not many people have actually visited it, for a multitude of reasons. "I love how in a way it's so modern, but then at the same time it's completely traditional. It works, and it's amazing to see it in even the little things around the city."

Giles' head drifts up and down at your words, his fingers rubbing over yours gently. Robert hums, his thumb drawing patterns into the skin of your wrist, sending little shivers rolling up your arm.

You all go down the ramp into the underground again, waiting until a few cars drive past before making your way to the back. Sid and Byron unlock the cars, getting in the driver seats, and Nico opens the door of Byron's car before sliding in. Louis holds his hand out to you, palm facing upwards. You beam at Giles and Robert, giving their hands a squeeze before loosening your grip. Giles leans down to kiss your head, and Robert gives you a quick hug before they walk to the other car.

Things like this have always been so normal. Now you’re questioning them.

You take Louis' hand, walking with him to the car. You get in, buckling up again next to Nico, and Louis follows. Before he can get you, though, Nico shuffles to be as close to you as he can, then tugs your body to him, hugging your waist tightly and nuzzling his face in the side of your neck. You chuckle, then grin at Louis when he lifts your legs up, resting them across his lap.

Byron rolls Albert's window down, and Sid rolls his own down, looking through to Byron. "We'll go out first this time. I know a faster way out, since it's coming up to rush hour and there'll be more congestion in town at this time."

Sid nods. "Yeah, okay. I'll follow you. Ring me if you need to."

Byron nods back, then rolls the window up before turning the engine on. He proceeds to pull out of the parking space, edging out and then waiting for Sid to come up behind him. When he's there, he drives up the exit ramp, leading the way out of the underground and then the car park.

You smile when the cars are out, watching the buildings go past outside, blurring as Byron speeds up. The scenery looks stunning, with the skyline of the buildings in town a silhouette against the burning of the sky. You relax into Nico's chest, closing your eyes, and Louis gently massages your knees. Nico starts humming into your throat, his eyelashes tickling your skin. That fluttering sensation starts up in your chest again when his lips part, exhaling softly into the juncture of your neck and shoulder.

_This is too close. This isn't normal..._

You take in a shaky breath, your heart twisting. Nico seems to feel this and moves closer, partially sitting you on his right thigh before he asks, "What's wrong?"

You quickly shake your head, squeezing his forearms and putting on your most convincing smile. You meet Louis' gaze as he watches you, having heard Nico's question, and reply softly, "Nothing, I think I'm just tired." You look out of the window again, laughing out, "I don't think I've recovered from the exams yet. I've slept so much lately."

Nico nods, his mouth pressing into the space under your jaw. You try to keep your breathing steady while your heart thuds, the proximity of his lips making it race. "Me too. We all have, actually. I think those last few months have finished us off." He hums again, adding cheerily, "But we can sleep now! We have more than enough time, so if you need to just rest, that's okay. Make sure you tell us - we won't mind, and we'll probably just join you. I think everyone's a bit dead from the exams."

"Speak for yourself." Albert grumbles from the front.

You smile. "But you slept in until twelve today, and you had a nap yesterday, but still went to sleep quickly last night."

He scowls at you in the mirror. "That was a one-off."  
You snicker, nodding. "Sure it was, Albert."

Byron speaks up now, turning onto a roundabout. "I have to admit, I've been more tired than usual lately. What Nico says, regardless of our conditions, however, is true. If you don't want to go out, or just want to sleep in, let us know. We're completely fine with letting you sleep. This is your holidays, after all, and we did bring you into this without asking."

You give him a smile in the mirror. "I will. Thank you."

Louis' voice murmurs to your right, and you watch as he leans over, keeping your legs in his lap while he awkwardly rests his head on your thighs. "I think I'll stay in tomorrow."

You let go of one of Nico's hands to reach down, stroking Louis' soft locks and running your fingers across his face. You see him shiver slightly at the touch, feel him lean his cheek into your hand. "I'll join you."

He smiles at your words, closing his eyes and pressing his face into your leg. "Thank you, Princess. That should be nice."

Byron chuckles at this. "I think I will have a day off as well, although I'll still train in the morning." He glances at you in the mirror. "You don't have to do the training. I know I made everyone this morning, but if you don't want to do it, just say. I want you to be happy while you're here."

You nod at that. "Okay. I might just do it later on some days, since doing it straight after waking up kills me a bit."

He just chuckles again. "Good."

The rest of the ride is nearly silent, with Louis staying on your legs and Nico continuing to hold you. He sings softly in your ear, the words gentle and loving and lulling, voice purring through his chest. His fingers run over your sides through your coat, giving you those shivers again, chills that make your muscles tremble and shake under his touch. 

You soon pull up to the mansion, though, and you instantly feel a strong sense of security and safety wash over you. You smile as you look down at Louis, seeing him completely still against you, his breathing slow and even. You wonder if he's fallen asleep.

Byron and Sid park in front of the fountain, and Nico sighs happily before he hugs you tighter. "Home again, Princess."

You chuckle at his sleepy voice, rubbing your cheek against his. "Yep. I don't think I'm going inside anytime soon, though."

Byron glances at you when you say this, looking confused. You grin, pointing at Louis, and Byron leans around his chair to look at the apparently sleeping blond. He smiles gently, telling you while he undoes his belt, "Just stay there for a moment. I'll carry him inside."

You nod, snuggling into Nico as he remains there, just holding you. A few seconds later, Byron gets out, then opens the back door. You help to undo Louis' seatbelt while Byron sits him up, and then he gets the belt off him before lifting him out. He doesn't seem remotely bothered by it, carrying Louis like he normally does with you, in the bridal style carry. The sight makes you giggle. You undo your seatbelt, feeling Nico mimic the action behind you.

You both then slide out, shutting the door when you're both on your feet. He loops his arm around your shoulders, tugging you against his side while you both start to walk to the front doors. You see Sid step out of his car and take one look at Byron carrying Louis, and then he bursts out laughing, his guffaws echoing through the estate. "Oh my God. Is he actually asleep?"

Byron just smiles a bit, walking past him with a nod. "Yes, he is."

Sid breaks down into hysterical laughter at that, making you laugh at him in the process. Nico lets out a soft chuckle of his own as you walk up to the doors, Albert unlocking them and opening them for Byron. Said Wagner makes his way upstairs with Albert, carrying Louis still, while the rest of you go into the living room. You take your coats off beforehand, though, and hang them up in the coat closet you are shown to by Nico.

And then you all collapse onto the furniture, sighs and heavy breaths released around the room almost instantly.

"Oh my God," Sid almost giggles out, wiping the tears from his eyes. "That was fucking funny. I can't believe he fell asleep."

You roll your eyes from your prone position, lying back against Nico. He cuddles you contentedly, nuzzling his face into your neck again. "Oh, cut him some slack. Maybe he didn't get much sleep last night." You internally groan, since it was your fault that he  _didn't_  get a full night of sleep, but you decide against telling them about it. "Besides, walking is tiring. We're teenagers. We need as much sleep as we can."

Sid says nothing in response, but he's still snickering to himself, slouching back into the armchair he's in. Alyn is in the other armchair, his legs dangling over the edge. Leo, Giles and Robert are sitting on the three-seater couch on the right, next to the fireplace, whilst you and Nico are taking up the space on the other, larger four-seater couch which is in front of the fireplace. There is a beanbag on the floor, although it's been pushed back to be a little bit behind the three-seater couch.

"While that is true," Albert's voice sounds from behind the couch, dry and inexpressive. He walks around the side, lightly tapping your nose as he goes past. "It's not good to make a habit of sleeping during the day."

Byron comes around as well now, lifting yours and Nico's legs up. He slips onto the couch in the middle, putting your legs back down on top of his thighs. Albert sits next to him, readjusting his glasses while you speak. "But what if we need to catch up on sleep because of what we've lost in college?"

He gives you a flat look, raising an eyebrow. You glance up at him. "If college is making you lose sleep, go to bed earlier."

You drop your head back down, sighing dramatically. "Al, stop being responsible. You're making the rest of us look bad." You blink, then quickly amend your sentence with a wince. You realise that you're probably in the minority here. "Well, at least me and Nico. And Sid. And Leo sometimes."

The look he gives you tells you that you've just ended your own argument. You huff, muttering, "Oh, shush. Don't give me that look."

He rolls his eyes, but he says nothing. Byron chuckles, gently unfastening and slipping your shoes off. You relax, feeling better now that your feet aren't so constricted. He massages the tops of your feet and your calves soothingly, watching you closely as your expression fades into one of relaxation and peace. "Now is the time to sleep, and to recover from the stress we've been under. We can afford sleeping during the day as long as we're not then staying up at night."

You grin at that, eyes drifting closed. "Are you kidding? I don't have the capacity to stay up late anymore. Too tired for that."

Nico giggles at this behind you, the sound tinkling next to your ear. He hums, fingers tracing patterns into your stomach. You try your best to ignore the warmth coiling inside you, focusing instead on his sweet, light scent as it envelops you, and his earring pressing into your earlobe where he rests the side of his face against yours.

"Was Louis still asleep when you put him upstairs?" You ask, the thought occurring to you suddenly. You open an eye, glancing down at Byron when he answers.

"Yes, he was fast asleep. He must have been tired." He is quiet for a second, and then he meets your gaze, his fingers' movements slowing slightly. "That said, I think I woke up slightly last night, just for a few seconds, and someone was getting up. Did anyone?"

You lick your lips, seeing the others shaking their heads. Nico shakes his own, although it's less noticeable with the way he's leaning on you. It's not like it's something bad that you're keeping from them. You just don't want to give them something to get worried about, since they most likely will.

But Byron will probably chase this up and find out, if anything from Louis. You may as well tell them.

"I was up." You answer, closing your eyes and leaning back into Nico more. "Louis woke up a few minutes after and came looking for me to make sure I was okay, so that's probably why he's so tired. It's my fault."

Byron's movements return to their normal pace, but his voice betrays concern. "And were you alright? What made you wake up?" He pauses, and then you can feel him frowning. "Were you uncomfortable in the room?"

You smile, keeping your eyes closed, although thinking about what woke you up sort of makes your heart ache. "I was fine. I just had some stuff on my mind, and I guess I needed a moment to just think it through. It had nothing to do with the room; I really like sleeping in there."

"Are you sure? Is there something you want to talk to us about?" Giles is the one who speaks now, sounding more than a little worried. You have to let out a breathy laugh at their concern, but you nod again.

"Yeah, I'm sure, I'm completely fine. And no, thank you. Like I said, I think I just needed a minute to process what was going on in my head. I felt better afterwards, honestly. Don't worry about it." You open your eyes now, your thoughts ticking over to Leo as you think about sleeping problems. You look to the older Crawford, asking, "Did you sleep okay?"

He nods. "Yeah, I actually got to sleep really quickly, and I can't remember any nightmares. I think it was having everyone around, it made it easier to relax. Thanks, Princess."

You beam at him, happy that he was sleeping. "That's good. Tell me if you get any nightmares, or if you're struggling, okay?" 

He just nods again, his tone light. "As long as you do too. Talk to me if you want to, okay? Don't try suffering on your own. It won't end well. You told me that yourself."

You find yourself thinking back to how Louis said that, how he told you not to bottle things up and that you were the one to tell him that. "I will."

You close your eyes again, placing your hand on Nico's arm, under your neck and providing a pillow for you. You shift back into him, feeling his arm tighten around your waist, fingers rubbing your stomach soothingly. Their touches are calming and make you feel safe, but they give you feelings that make you want to run and hide.

_Will I tell you, though? Will I tell you that I love you all more than any person should?_

You swallow thickly, trying to bite back all your fear and guilt and shame.

_Will I tell you that I've done the one thing I never should have done?_

**♡♔♡**

A few hours and a hectic game of twister later, you have watched a fencing final going on in Laurelia, and are all sat in the living room, playing cards. Louis is awake now, having woken up about an hour after arriving home. 

"Three of a kind." Nico sighs out, putting his cards down. Sid smirks from across the room, while Leo has a completely blank face. Byron's face is habitually inexpressive, and you try to keep your own blank, holding your own cards. "Louis?"

"Junk." Said blond mutters, putting down his cards with a huff.

Giles, Robert, Albert and Alyn are all out by this point. They watch silently while the rest of you play, trying to work out who has a good hand. Giles turns his gaze to you. "Princess?"

You let yourself smile a bit, placing your cards down, full of the royals for the first time ever. Truthfully, you feel very smug, having never gotten such a strong hand before. "Royal flush."

Giles grins, laughing lightly. He nods approvingly. "Fitting for our Princess."

You hear Nico let out a whine, dropping his head against the back of the couch. You look to Leo, tilting your head. He makes a face, sighing and putting his cards down. "Straight flush."

You nod, moving your gaze to Sid. He smirks cockily, putting his cards down proudly. "Royal flush."

Shit. He's on par with you. You press your lips together, moving your eyes to Byron. "And you, Byron?"

"Full house." He sets his cards down, smiling a little at you before looking at Sid. "It seems we have a draw."

You and Sid both look down at the prize, sat in the centre of the table, before looking back at each other again.

Your eyes narrow. "My pocky."

He mirrors your expression, responding lowly, "My pocky."

Albert sighs in aggravation, picking the said treat up. It's the last one of the box. He then snaps it in half, holding a piece out to each of you. "Stop being so childish and share."

You take your half, as does Sid, before nibbling on it. Sid laughs darkly, taking a bite of his own. "Damn," He mutters, expression amused. "And here I was, hoping I'd get to play the pocky game."

"Sid." Byron says warningly, tone dangerous.

Sid just waves his hand dismissively, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know. I don't need a lecture like Leo got. I'm just teasing." He looks at you with an impish expression. "You know I'm just messing with you, right?"

Wanting to relieve some of the tension in the room, you nod, grinning. "Yeah, I know. It’s fine." Your eyes drift to Byron, and your grin widens while you try to sound encouraging. "Don't worry, honestly. I'm used to it, and it doesn't bother me anyway. I don't mind at all."

He nods, but his eyes remain on Sid. "I know that, and that's fine, but it's more a point of Sid's behaviour that I'm focusing on. It was the same with Leo earlier. It's just to make it clear what is expected of them, especially when staying here."

You look between the two now, seeing Sid giving Byron a marginally irritated stare. You swallow, not wanting them to fight anymore. "Okay, but let's not get carried away over it. Let's all just move on. There's no point in arguing over it."

There is a moment of terse silence. Byron and Sid keep staring at each other, fire in their gazes. You can feel your heartbeat picking up, starting to become panicked; your mind expects them to start to shout or try to hurt each other.

Nico notices your concern, though, and quickly takes your hand. He squeezes it, the concern in your face as clear as day. "It's okay, ___. They're not going to do anything."

Sid nods at that. "Nope, because I'm going to go get a drink. Thirsty as hell over here." You would normally laugh at that last sentence, but you feel like it's more of a jab at Byron. Ignoring Byron’s sharp gaze, he heaves himself up. He glances down at you when he walks behind the couch you're on, leaning over the back of it where you are. "You want anything, Princess? Tea?"

Your mind blanks, and you quickly force yourself to respond. "Um... yeah. Tea, please, if you wouldn't mind."

He nods, reaching down to cup your cheek and briefly kiss your forehead, the unexpected touch sending warmth through your limbs. "Sure thing." He pulls back, sending Byron a sweet-as-poison smile. "Don't miss me too much."

Byron just raises an eyebrow at him, the room practically dropping to sub-zero around you.

Your throat thickens, and your mind whirls into complete confusion; all day, they've been absolutely fine with each other and have, if anything, seemed really close. What's made them become so cold with each other? What's set this off? Did something happen that you missed, or were you part of it without realising?

Byron stands now, sighing quietly. "I need to have a word with him. I'll be back in a moment."

He then goes to the kitchen without another word, and your grip on Nico's hand tightens subconsciously. He hushes you, turning around so that he is sitting sideward on, tucking you against his chest as he lies you back. He nuzzles his face in your neck again, putting his arms around your middle, before he coos to you softly, "Princess, I promise, they're not going to fight. Nothing's going to happen. They butt heads like this a lot."

You don't feel particularly comforted by that, instead pressing closer to him and staring at the fireplace, watching the flames dance. "But they seemed fine all day. They were completely nice to each other, and it didn't feel like there were any problems with them right up until now. How come they're being so different all of a sudden?"

He is quiet for a moment, and then he starts to rub his fingers into your side very lightly, his other hand taking your own and squeezing it. "They're just having a moment, Princess. It happens. It's..." You see his amber eyes flicker around the group, getting cautious or unsure looks from the others. "It's... ah... to do with the thing we're sorting out. We can't really explain."

This again. You're starting to really hate this, seeing them clash without knowing why, and being aware of the fact that you won't know until they're ready. You swallow back the lump in your throat, trying to push away the prospect of them fighting badly and one of them leaving. "Okay."

At the sound of your shaky voice, and the weakness in it, the room is filled with sighs and murmurs of your name, the group trying to soothe you and calm you from afar. Nico immediately moves his arms to lock them around your own, holding your hand almost painfully tightly as he rests his face against yours. He makes hushing sounds for a few seconds, then starts to sing into your ear again, the words gentle and as soft as he can make them. 

You close your eyes, trying to find solace and calm in his touch and his words. You focus on them, squaring your breathing to rid your throat of its thickness.

Eventually, Sid stalks back into the room, holding a glass of Pepsi and a cup of tea. He leans against the back of the couch, staring down at you. You glance up at him. "Hey, Princess. Fancy coming upstairs with me for a sec? I got something to tell you."

Your heart practically explodes in your chest; the fear sinks in, choking and trapping you, the fear that this is it. He's leaving, or Byron's leaving, or something's gone wrong.

Seeing your distress, Sid smiles, giving you a wink. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. C'mon."

You steel yourself, slipping out of Nico's arms after giving his hand a squeeze. You see him watching you worriedly as you stand, but you try to give him a reassuring look while you walk around the couch.

When you get there, you hold your hand out for your tea. Sid gives you it before taking your free one, pulling you out of the living room and into the entry. You can hear quiet conversation behind you, and can feel the eyes of the boys on your back, as Sid takes you to the main staircase.

He says nothing as he walks up them with you, but he rubs your thumb, sending you a calmer, more genuine smile. He then releases your hand upon reaching the top, sliding his own around your waist. Your skin prickles, his cool fingers slithering under the very edge of your top to fiddle with it. He takes you through the corridor and into the next one, making a beeline for your room.

When he goes in, he closes and locks the door, then sighs heavily. He tugs you through the room until he gets to the chair by the balcony doors, where he sits down, pulling you onto his knee carefully.

You make sure not to spill your tea as you bring your legs up to your chest, your feet between his thigh and the arm of the chair. He holds his Pepsi in one hand, and the other places itself on your side, just under your ribs. He keeps it on top of your shirt, though, so you're not too distracted by the contact.

"Sorry about being all mysterious and shit just now. I was just getting back at Byron for being a dick." He apologies quietly, placing his chin on your head while he stares out of the doors. You watch outside, seeing the evening still and quickly descending into night, the sky bordering on a deep indigo as ribbons of fire fall behind the horizon.

"It's okay." You have a sip of your tea, the creamy texture settling your nerves a bit. "I get it."

He laughs softly, the sound low and smooth like silk. "Thanks." He is quiet for a few long moments. Then, he gently presses his lips to your hair, murmuring, "Hey."

You look up slowly as he removes his chin, seeing him watching you with an unreadable look, the only indication of emotion coming from the small curl of his lips. "Yeah?"

He leans down, resting his forehead against yours. Your heart beats faster and harder, and your grip on your cup tightens at the sensation of his skin warming yours. His eyes, the same shade of the rapidly darkening sky, are relaxed and loving, staring intensely into your own, studying your features in a slow, gradual circle. You notice that he pauses, for the briefest of moments, at your lips, before he then chuckles and speaks.

Your chest constricts. You almost forget to breathe.

"I gave Byron an ultimatum."

_What?_

You blink up at him, completely confused. "About what?"

He grins now, teeth flashing in the light of the oncoming night. "About telling you what's going on. We've come to an agreement that we're all happy with and are more than happy to bring into action when the time's right, but the others are waiting to do it. They're sort of scared, more of the possibilities of what it might cause rather than the thought of actually telling you, so they're holding back. I can see that it's killing you, though, so I deliberately got him alone just now and told him that he's got a week."

A week. One week, maximum, and then they'll tell you. No more code. No more waiting. No more fear. You'll just have an answer, the one you're desperate to have. "A week..."

He nods, pulling back to drink his Pepsi for a moment. He then holds onto you tightly as he leans forward, setting it on the floor next to the chair. Before you can say anything else, he crosses one of his legs over his other thigh under you, cradling you against him. With a hand still on your side, the other rests on your knee, massaging it absently.

"One week, and if he hasn't said anything to you, or we don't decide to do it up until that point, I'm telling you. I don't care if they don't want me to, it's not fair to keep you hanging like this. You deserve to know, and I feel like telling you will be a good thing. I'm pretty sure that it'll end well."

Your chest spasms at that, relief and joy flooding your veins. You have been drinking your tea while he says this, but now you finish it, putting the cup on the floor. You then cuddle back into him, resting your hand over his heart and replying softly, "Thank you, Sid."

He shifts you to be closer, his fingers moving up to rub your thigh. He smirks once more, lips now against your forehead. "You're welcome, Princess."

Your muscles tense involuntarily, just like with Alyn, when his hand moves up your leg, then back down again, sparks shooting through your body. He stills slightly, and you try not to wince, wondering if he noticed. However, he just asks, his voice almost amused but also very curious and genuine, "Can I ask you a question? I get it if you don't want to answer, but I've never asked this before and I'm nosy."

You have to let out a laugh at his bluntness, nodding and sighing internally at the fact that he hasn't asked about you tensing up. "Go ahead."

He smirks against your temple, lips moving against the skin ever so slightly. "What does it feel like, being close to us like this?"

You still, a blush rising in your cheeks quickly at the nature of the question. You wonder if he did notice you tensing up. "W-What do you mean? Like, physically, or more mentally?"

He hums for a few seconds. "Both. Either. Whatever you want to answer. I'm just curious, since we probably don't get half of what you do in the last respect, and we - or I, at least - haven't ever really asked about it."

You think for a moment, trying to phrase this in the best way, as to not suggest what you've been feeling lately but still be honest with him. "Well, physically, it just feels normal. And by normal, I mean it makes me feel safe and loved, and like you'll all always be here with me. I don't mind the closeness at all. It's... it's something that I love, being able to be this close and comfortable with you all, and knowing that you're comfortable enough to trust me and be like this with me."

Your cheeks heat up slightly. “It’s nice, being like this. I’m relaxed and feel like I’m where I should be.”

You heave in a breath now, watching your wording. "As for mentally, it's a bit hard in the likes of college, just because of the questioning I get from people and the things they say sometimes, but I don't care. I'd never give this up, for all the name calling and fights that I get into, nor would I ever consider giving it up. It's a part of me, of us, now. Or that's what it feels like to me, anyway."

Your eyes close, and you feel your resolve faltering just a little as you let a bit of the truth slip out. "Although, to be honest, sometimes I wonder if this is right. I wonder if what this is, the way we are with each other, is normal. I wonder if sometimes what I feel is normal, because whichever way I look at it, it can't be. It makes no sense."

Feeling his eyes on you, practically burning into your skin and through you, you realise that you've said too much. You quickly shake your head, gripping his shirt and hiding your face in his neck. "Ignore that last bit."

He stays silent for another couple of seconds, and then you feel him smiling. He presses a very tender, very loving kiss to your temple, much to your surprise and confusion. He gives you another on the top of your head, murmuring, his voice almost a whisper. "It's like that for us too."

Your eyes fly open, your breath catching in your throat. He chuckles. "Personally, I don't think I could live without the group anymore. What we are... it's important to me. As much as Louis pisses me off and I want to punch Alyn and Albert in the fucking throat every time I see them, we need each other. We work." His mouth moves to your temple again, his hand squeezing your side gently. "And I would never give you up. I'd never leave you, I promised that with you all those years ago. You're stuck with me now."

Your heart races in your chest, and you wonder if he got the same feeling when you said you didn't want to give the group up. You can say nothing as he hugs you, his warmth and smell and strength all you can think about. "I don't care if this is socially wrong. I don't give a shit if people don't like the way we are. All that matters to me is that we're not alone anymore, and that we're like this because we care, not because we want to fuck around."

You can feel your throat swelling again, but it's happy this time. He cares. He's not just here to mess around and play with your feelings. You knew this anyway, but hearing him say it, even though you have no right to want to... it's like the world lights up around you as he says it.

You can only nod furiously, reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck and embrace him just as tightly. You force the tears back, biting your tongue while you cling to him.

Yes, while you cling to him, and cling to the love you know he has for you.

It might not be the love you want, but it's enough.

You think.

**♡♔♡**

After another while of close cuddling and talking, you and Sid go back downstairs, and although the living room is tense, everything settles down as you all continue playing games.

Eventually, though, the day catches up to you all and you agree to go to bed. You get yourself ready, putting on a long, indigo shirt and some white cotton shorts, and fixing yourself up until you're good. You then walk out of your room, making your way across the hallway to the door, which leads to the top of the stairs and the door to the big room.

Just as you step into the larger landing area, a loud shout and a pair of hands grabbing onto your shoulders from you makes you jump, heart racing. "Boo!"

Your hands fly back, grabbing the arm of whoever it is on instinct. You push your body back, then bend over, throwing the offender over your left shoulder. They hit the floor with a loud thud, and you dance back while they cough, groaning painfully at the sudden flip.

You scowl down at Sid, exclaiming, "Sid, what the hell? I could have hurt you, you bastard! Don't scare me like that!"

He lets out a loud snort, lying there in a pair of black pyjama pants with a midnight blue shirt. He slowly sits up, wincing slightly, and you huff as you hold your hand out to him. He takes it, letting you pull him to his feet as he stares down at you.

"Thanks. I thought I'd give you a good scare, since I haven't done it in a while. You're still strong, though. That fucking hurt." Your expression flattens, your eyebrow twitching up, and he rolls his eyes. "Oh, calm down. You probably wouldn't have hurt me that bad."

He smirks now, suddenly reaching down to sweep you off your feet and into his arms. You squeak, not expecting it. He howls with laughter, walking to the door to the big room. "So I can come up behind you and grab you, and you just flip me like it's nothing, but I pick you up and you're scared shitless?" He nudges the door open with his foot, still laughing. "That's my girl."

You flick him on the nose, crossing your arms and frowning at him. You try to ignore the stirring you feel in you at the way he says ‘my girl’. "Shut up. I wasn't expecting it."

He just snickers, walking over to the bed. No one is there yet, so you two must have been quick getting dressed. He knee-walks across the bed until he gets to a royal blue blanket, where he smirks and all but chucks you onto it. He watches intently, observing you yelp and hit the mattress face first. You bounce, rolling onto your back, before staring up at him with wide eyes.

"You prick." You mutter, although you're just joking, and you know that he's aware of it. You tend to swear more around Sid, since he's not bothered by it at all and encourages you being yourself around him. You can relax with him; you don't have to put on a face, and know that he'll just accept what you are.

"And proud." He retorts, his tone playfully snarky, before crawling over and plopping down next to you. You prop yourself up on your elbows next to him, raising an eyebrow, but he just keeps smirking up at you.

You have a staring contest for maybe ten seconds, at which point you snap your fingers in front of his face, making him blink in surprise. As his expression turns to one of offence and mock hurt, you smirk back, then roll onto your side so you're facing way from him. You pull the cover over yourself, dragging it out from under him, before pointedly hogging it and wrapping it around you. 

You lie there for a few seconds, smug and now nice and warm. That is, until he suddenly takes hold of it, yanking it off you and throwing it over himself. You sit up instantly, whipping around and narrowing your eyes at him. He raises an eyebrow, daring you to take it from him.

"Are you really going to do this? You know if you fight me you'll lose." You challenge him, kneeling next to him with your arms crossed.

"It's not going to happen, but I'm very much willing to risk it."

_Oh, it's so on._

Your hand shoots out, grabbing the cover on his left side. As you pull it back, his own hand darts out, grabbing your wrist tightly. He then pulls sharply, sending you flying over him and onto his right side as he uses his knee to push you over. You land flat on your back while he rolls over, hovering above you.

He pins one wrist down, and you quickly use your other to grab his free wrist, grunting. You hold it above you. He manages to keep it there, the balance of force even on both sides, before he leans forward slightly. You groan, feeling him using gravity against you, your arm now straining against his weight. He shifts forward, your legs on either side of his hips as he sits between them, nearly crushing you with his body. You try to ignore the feeling of his lower torso pressing against you, heating up your whole body.

And it's at this point that the door opens again, and you both freeze where you are.

The others, apparently deciding to come in together, walk into the room. They all pause upon seeing you under Sid, fighting against him, his body hovering over you. Everyone in the room, yourself included, with the exception of Robert, Giles, Nico, Leo and Byron, goes red from the awkward situation.

So, you waste no time in bringing your leg up, kicking Sid where it hurts.

The others gasp, seeing Sid choke out a swear, before he collapses against you. You grunt, feeling him squirming and hearing him groaning as he tries to recover. His face is squished against your chest while tries to support himself on his forearms, his mouth dangerously close to your breasts.

You just grab the blanket from next to you, reckoning that this is a good compromise, before moving his face to be against your shoulder instead. You try to push him off, but he seems to have anchored himself in place through the pain.  "He took the blanket off me. I wanted it back."

Leo is the first to move, wandering over to the bed before hopping on. "That's our Princess. However,"

He then comes over to you, shoving Sid onto his side next to you, not seemingly bothered by the moan of pain that comes from the taller male when he is forced to move. Before you can say anything, Leo hooks an arm around your waist, then uses the other to pick you up. He returns to his usual place on the bed, setting you down while you continue to hold the blue blanket.

"We can't have you two play fighting all night, and Sid had you loads today anyway, so I'm stealing you."

You see no reason to argue, so you just nod, getting yourself comfy where his pillow is as you pull the blanket over yourself. Leo cradles you against his chest, one arm curled around your lower back while the other plays with your hair. Your leg ends up between his while you lie there, your own hands resting on his upper chest. He chuckles. He shifts you to be positioned on top of him, your smaller body wrapped in his.

You just smile, feeling safe, warm and very much loved as his fingers twist through your hair, his other ones running up and down the ridges of your spine, then over your ribs before circling back again. The rhythm is repetitive and relaxing, and your muscles lose their tension, your head falling to rest against his collarbone. He hums out, "Nice kick there, Princess. I've never seen Sid go down that fast."

You grin, replying, "It's my blanket. He deserved it." However, you do want to check that he's alright, so you lift your head and spy for him on the bed. You see him sat up, his expression pained, while he breathes deeply. "Sorry, Sid. To be fair, I did owe you a kick from that time when you pushed me off the training tower without checking my wires."

He just glares at you, although you can see the twinkle in his eyes at the memory. He gives you a thumbs up, groaning, "Yeah, whatever, we're even. No more nutshots, though. That fucking kills."

There is a collection of laughs at the vulgar expression, and you find yourself giggling into Leo's skin, his own laughs rumbling underneath you.

The others spend the next few minutes finding their spots and getting themselves comfy, and then Byron turns the lights off, and the room is plunged into pitch black. You smile, hearing quiet bickering between Nico and Albert, and then Sid and Byron talking civilly a little way away from you. On your right, Alyn sighs, moving about next to you while he fixes his pillows.

You have to chuckle as he mumbles to himself, asking, "You alright there, Alyn?"

He stops for a moment, and then he grunts. "Yeah, fine."

As your eyes adjust to the dark, you see him flop down on to his pillow, tugging his blanket higher around him. By now, you have shifted to be on your side next to Leo, his arms around your waist. You turn behind you for a moment to reach out, gently stroking Alyn's hair. You feel him tense up at first, but he quickly relaxes, letting you run your fingers through the silky locks. "You sure?"

He's quiet for a few seconds. He then speaks, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Eeo nsngt hrring."

You blink, unable to understand the mumbles. "Say that again?"

He huffs, turning his head towards you before he repeats grumpily, "Leo isn't sharing."

That makes a lot more sense now. You nod, continuing to stroke his hair. "Oh."

Leo just grins, leaning down to drop his face into the juncture of your neck and shoulder, purring out, "I've hardly had her all day. I just want some time with her, little brother."

Alyn scoffs, snapping, "You've had more time with her than at least three people in the group today, and I've had less time collectively with her than she has with you. So, technically you shouldn't have her." Leo doesn't move nor respond, and Alyn growls. "Asshole."

"Love you too." Leo snickers back, making a kissing noise at the brunette. Alyn just mumbles something else, and you chuckle before you remove your hand from his hair, intending to turn back and cuddle into Leo. He stops you, though, by grabbing your wrist when it moves away. You can feel the heat coming from his skin like lava, and so you guess he's probably blushing as he pulls it back down, setting it atop his head. 

You stifle a laugh at his I’m-pissed-but-you're-going-to-stroke-my-hair attitude, turning onto your back. Leo moves to let you, keeping an arm under your neck while the other drapes itself over your middle. He then turns you onto your side, this time facing away from him, before moving closer to you from behind. This allows you to stroke Alyn's hair easier, although it seems that Leo hasn't noticed you doing it.

"You okay, Princess? Comfy?" He asks, his chin atop your head.

You nod, chuckling quietly. "Yeah. Mister grumpy over here wants me to stroke his hair."

Alyn immediately throws his head up, but you deliberately keep your hand on it. You know that he's got a spot at the bottom of his head that he loves to have massaged, but that it also basically renders him unable to move while it’s pressed. "I do not! You started it- ah, shit... what are you... ugh…"

He face plants the pillow upon you finding the spot, rubbing it gently but firmly. You giggle, practically feeling the daggers he's glaring at you from the side for exposing his weakness. Well, the others probably can't see what's going on, so this might sound a bit strange. "Aw, you're adorable, Alyn. You're like a cat."

You stop rubbing the spot now, feeling like he'll murder you if you keep going. You still continue to stroke his hair, though. He mumbles something that sounds vulgar and like an insult, but you take no notice, instead sighing and leaning back into Leo. He traces his fingertips across your stomach and breathes deeply, inhaling your vanilla smell. 

_Definitely too close. Definitely not normal._

Alyn doesn't move your hand off him, instead lying there, his breathing gradually slowing. He says something, the words slurred and jumbled together, before he goes still under your hand. He breathes steadily now, deeply. You guess he's asleep.

Leo laughs softly in your ear, his voice teasing as he speaks in German. It's something he does every now and again, since he and you both specialise in languages and are near enough fluent in it. "Schläft er?"

You smile. He's asking if Alyn's asleep. "Ja. Er ist wie ein Baby. Oder eine Katze. Er schläft schnell." _Yes. He’s like a baby. Or a cat. He’s fast asleep._

He snorts at that. "Ein Baby und eine Katze?" He hums, thinking for a moment, before a laugh bubbles over his lips. "Er ist ein Kätzchen."

A kitten. The thought of Alyn's face on a tiny, harmless kitten makes your heart flutter in your chest. "Aw, wie suß." _Aw, how sweet._

You hear Sid groan from across the bed. "Hey, don't talk in languages we don't know. We can't tell what you're saying."

You snicker, feeling Leo take your hand and hold it in his, the one under your neck. "Wir sollten Deutsch die ganze Zeit sprechen."

He laughs at that, nodding. You said that you should speak German all the time. "Bestimmt. Es wird ihn verärgern."

He said that you should, since it will make Sid angry. You grin, lifting your head for a moment to peer at Sid in the dark. "Hey, Sid?"

He grunts. "What?"

You smirk. "Deutsch den ganzen Weg!"  _German all the way!_

He exhales slowly, the sound hissing through his teeth. "Fuck you, bilinguals."

Leo chuckles darkly. "Und du, arschloch!"  _And you, asshole!_

You can pretty much feel Sid giving Leo the finger behind you, but Leo doesn't say or do anything more, instead settling down again and tucking you into him, his forehead resting against your shoulder for a moment. You close your eyes, listening to the others talk for a few minutes, until they go quiet and start to fall asleep.

You keep stroking Alyn's hair soothingly, now listening to Leo's soft breathing, feeling it waft over your cheek. His fingers twist around yours, his index and thumb taking your ring finger and playing with it for a few moments. His skin is smooth and warm around yours, but his touch is so light that it makes goose bumps rise up on your arms as you shiver. 

After a few moments of quiet, he speaks, his voice low and soft. "Hey, Schätzchen?"

Your heart flutters at the nickname, which you know is a term of endearment that generally means 'Sweetie', 'Sweetheart' or 'Darling'. "Ja?"

"Schließ deine Augen."  _Close your eyes._  How does he know they're open?

You glance up, seeing him staring down at you, his face inches from yours. You wonder how he can see that well in the dark, but you decide against questioning it. You use your hair to hide your face as it heats up, resting it against the pillow again, before whispering back, "Es tut mir Leid."  _I'm sorry._

Another breathy chuckle leaves him, his lips pressing against your temple. His other hand rises up to your face. He brushes your hair back, leaving his mouth close to your ear while he murmurs, "Du bist müde. Schlaf, Schatz."  _You're tired. Sleep, treasure._

At his lulling voice, the low vibrations of his chest and his tender touches, your eyelids drift closed, your mind becoming foggy in seconds. Your voice is ever so quiet and gentle, sleep clouding it as you force the words through your tiredness. "Sie müssen auch zu schlafen."  _You need to sleep, too._

He takes your other hand now, bringing it up to kiss the knuckles lovingly. "Ich werde. Ich verspreche."  _I will. I promise._

You can only nod a tiny bit, your thoughts fading away quickly. As everything falls into the dark, as it all blurs away into a vortex of soft touches and murmurs and loving embraces, his words are the last thing you register.

"Gute nacht, liebling."

_Good night, darling._

**♡♔♡** **  
**


	8. Part IX | Involuntary Cuddles, Tension, Agreement, and... Push-Ups with Albert?

**♡♔♡**

**Day 3**

When you come around, the first thing you register is heat.

It surrounds you, almost suffocating. But then, as you start to wake up more, as you feel the sources of the warmth, it becomes more comfortable. You start to build a picture around you, feeling an arm curled around your stomach, another under your neck. Lips rest against the skin behind your ear, air gently wafting and caressing the space from slow breaths. A leg has slipped between yours, an ankle hooked around your right one, almost hugging it in sleep.

In front of you, the heat is just as intense. A firmer, warmer arm is draped over your middle, the other under the pillow, shifting under you momentarily. The person in front of you is almost burrowed into the covers, their body lower than yours. A face is nuzzling into your neck, eyelashes tickling the flesh. Another mouth sits atop your collarbone. The smell of metal and forests mixes with an intoxicating aroma of spice and cologne, almost making you dizzy, enveloping your senses.

_Leo and Alyn. They just can't share at all._

A soft smile graces your lips at the thought. Leo sighs in his sleep behind you, which sends relief through you; at least he did get some rest. Alyn is mostly still, face buried in your throat, but he snores softly, the sound drawing a silent laugh from you. One of your hands is currently resting on Alyn's shoulder, with one under his cheek, and you bring the free one up to run your fingers through his hair. You brush the strands back from his face, watching him move closer and tighten his grip on your waist. He mumbles something unintelligible, the sound rumbling through his chest and against your throat.

The room is still dark, you notice, and you can hear the others breathing steadily. So, either it's still night-time, or they’re all sleeping in quite late. There are no windows in the big room, so you can't tell.

Knowing that Leo keeps his phone under the pillow, you remove your hand from Alyn's head, gently slipping it under the pillow and feeling about for the phone. You find it after a moment, pulling it out and holding it away from Alyn's face to check the time. You wince at the bright light, peering at the screen, before nodding to yourself and locking it again. You slide it back under, putting your head back down.

11:57

They'll probably be waking up soon. You're surprised that no one is up and moving, since the likes of Nico, Giles, Robert and the twins were up early yesterday. You wonder if it's the tension that you all felt yesterday, and walking around town, that's drained them so much.

You lie there for a while, happy and comfortable in the embrace of the two on either side of you. After some time, though, you start to get a bit hungry and thirsty, and decide to make the boys something to eat for when they get up. You know that Byron won't mind in regards to their training, since if anything, he prefers to eat first and then burn off what he's had.

So, you ever so slowly rise up, pulling your hands away from Alyn before carefully taking the limbs from your sides. Then, you move onto your knees, standing up and balancing precariously as you tiptoe across the bed. You get down, walking around the bed to the door, before slipping into the hallway and shutting it behind you.

You quickly go and get a zip-up hoodie and your iPod from your room, throwing the hoodie on. You quickly tidy yourself up and brush your teeth, then pad downstairs. You go into the kitchen, where you put the kettle on and start to look around for what there is. There are eggs and microwave sausages, and you're pretty hungry, so you decide to do that for yourself, since the others will probably take a while to come down and you should be done by then.

The next ten minutes or so are spent making the food and some tea, your headphones in and your music low in your ears. You sing to yourself softly, the sound of "Tourner Dans Le Vide" by Indila setting a solemn mood nicely. It's one of Giles' favourite songs, since you’re both pretty much fluent in French, and the song holds a special value for the two of you. It's the song you sing to him when he gets sick and goes down with his illness, the one you've spent hours humming to him when he's been shaking and weak and clinging to you.

You have just put on "Boite en Argent" and put the microwave sausages in when you are pulled from your trance.

A pair of arms snake around your middle, making you jump and yelp, dragging an earphone out before whipping your head around. You look up, seeing Robert stood behind you, a kind but teasing grin on his face. "Robert! You scared me!"

He chuckles, tugging you against his chest and resting his chin atop your head. Your hands automatically place themselves on his forearms as they bind around your middle, warm and strong but still very tender and careful. "I apologise. You just looked so adorable, off in your own little world like that."

Your cheeks gain a light blush at that, and you try to hide behind your hair, a smile creeping up on your lips. Your heart stutters in your chest again, your nerves tingling and sparking in an almost overwhelming wave that dances across your body. "Thank you..." You reply quietly, not sure what to say. "I don't see how it's adorable, though. I probably look scary. I've been told that a few times."

You laugh out the last part, trying to joke to ease your own feelings a bit, but he stills against you for a few seconds in response. You glance up, seeing him staring down at you. His smile is small now, almost secretive. "Robert?"

He is silent for a few more seconds, and then he sighs softly, sounding like it's bordering on a very gentle laugh. Before you can ask him what's wrong, he turns you around to face him. He then reaches down all of a sudden, locking his hands on the backs of your thighs. Your pupils widen in confusion, and you let out a surprised gasp when he lifts you up, hooking your legs over his hips. You grab his shoulders on instinct, one developed more from the other boys.

You wonder what he's doing; he's not the type to randomly lift you up like this.

He walks over to the other counter, the one that doesn't have stuff on it, before setting you down on it gently. Your lips part as he stands between your legs, his hands now releasing your thighs to come up to your face. He chuckles again, running the pads of his thumbs across your cheekbones.

"It's adorable because I can see how deeply you're thinking, and I see how you get lost in the music. It makes me curious, because I want to know what you're thinking when you go off in a daze like that. I wonder what's going on in your thoughts."

He shakes his head, his smile widening. He brushes a stray strand of your hair back, off your face, before he leans down to rest his forehead against yours. Your stomach flutters, your eyes lost in his amber hues. You're lost in his gentle smile, lost in the loving expression he has, lost in the way he holds your face like the most precious of treasures. "And, of course, you always look adorable. I would think you'd know that by now, from the amount of times we've told you so over the years."

_Damn this boy. I swear he's doing this on purpose._

Your face flushes again at the last sentence, and you look down as you try to hold back your smile. "Robert... I..."

You don't even know what you're trying to say, instead opting to drop your head against his neck, gripping his forest green shirt. He laughs openly now, knowing that you're not as able to just brush off compliments from him, since he doesn't give them as often as some of the others. It's the same with Albert and Alyn; they're more reserved than the likes of Sid, Nico and Leo, and whilst Byron, Giles and Louis are quiet in comparison to the latter three, they will often compliment or tease you, and are more actively affectionate with you.

"You are adorable, Princess." He murmurs against your hair, his arms lowering down to cradle you against him, his fingers tracing over your sides with a feather-light touch. "I'm afraid you're going to have to make your peace with it."

You can't help but laugh, nodding into his neck. He joins you, beaming into your hair at the sound of your peals of giggles, something that’s like heaven to the boys. He embraces you tightly, savouring the feeling of you in his arms, inhaling your vanilla scent and focusing on the warmth coming from your smaller body. 

You stay like that for a few minutes, more than happy to just stay in his arms, soothed and relaxed by his presence and touch. He seems just as content, not once moving or making any indication for you to get off him, if anything getting closer to you as time ticks away.

You are both brought back to reality, however, when there is a ding to your right. You jump, pulling back in shock, before you realise that it's just the microwave. You let out a breathy laugh, seeing him grinning down at you.

"Sorry. I forgot about that." That reminds you of the fact that you're having food, and you smile up at him tenderly, asking, "Do you want some breakfast? I'm making sausage and eggs, but there's ham as well, or I could make something else."

He cups your face with one hand again, shaking his head. His beautiful orbs study your face, his gaze wondering. "Princess, you need not make breakfast for me. We are forever trying to get you to allow us to make food in your house, and we have so far been unsuccessful. You're always getting things for us. Please, let me make the breakfast, at least for myself if not for the others too."

You frown a bit at that, although you're not angry or anything. You just wish they'd let you do more for them. "Robert, I get things for you all because I want to. It's fine."

He sighs quietly, leaning forward to press his lips to your forehead. Your eyes close instinctively, your attention switching to his smooth voice, murmuring against your skin,

"I know that, but I don't think you realise how much you have done things like cooking or making drinks for us over the years. Our efforts for you in that respect are, comparatively, much smaller." He kisses your forehead properly, then moves his to touch yours, his own eyes closing as he does so. You can't see this, however.

"At least while you're here, let us spoil you. We want you to be completely relaxed and not having to do anything you don't need to while you're here. Let us take care of everything. Let us take care of you." He laughs quietly again, his tone mildly teasing. "I think Albert would discourage me from phrasing this in such a way, but please, be lazy."

That does make sense, you have to admit. When they're in your house, you are constantly insisting that you make the food and get the drinks.

You inhale deeply, then force yourself to nod, ignoring your body's urges to stop him from doing everything himself. "Okay. But if you need any help with anything, ask me." You grin softly, your mind recalling that you are both learning Norwegian. "Ja?"

He nods, planting a last kiss on your forehead. "Ja. Jeg lover."  _Yes. I promise._

Before you ask, no, you don't speak every language on the planet. You specialise in them and so are very much confident or fluent in quite a few, because your school offers a very wide range of courses.

Out of the twenty language courses available, although many more from around the world are in their incubation phases at the moment, you were able to take up six of them; Russian, German, French, Norwegian, Romanian and Spanish. That sounds impossible, but with the intuitive, personally tailored learning methods at the school and college, and the intensive teaching there, you've been able to become completely fluent in Spanish, near enough fluent in French and German, very confident in Norwegian, and relatively so in Romanian and Russian.

At least one language has to be taken all the way through the school, so the boys all had to choose one, and they ended up in the same classes as you for at least one language each. You have Russian with Albert and Byron, although Albert wasn't very enthusiastic about having to learn a language, German with Leo, French with Giles and Louis, Norwegian with Robert, Romanian with Sid and Leo (again), and then the twins and Nico for Spanish.

Leo also specialises in languages, although he only does three along with a few other subjects like History, combined English and Politics. You filled all of your subject slots with languages, since you love them so much and were heavily encouraged to do so. However, because of the other compulsory courses you have to take, your career options are very wide and hardly limited to languages.

"Greit." _Okay._ You nod at him, trusting that he will ask for help if he needs it. 

He grins, then moves away from you to start cooking his own breakfast. You slide off the counter, then get the sausages out before placing them on your plate with the eggs. You quickly make tea for both of you, since he accepts your offer to make it for both of you. You then proceed to sit at the island, getting some cutlery before hopping onto one of the stools and setting your plate down. You smile gently, starting to nibble at your sausages and sip at your tea, while you watch him cook his food.

It's not often you get the chance to just watch him, so you take the opportunity, as he stands with his back to you at the oven. He is so graceful in the way he moves, his actions light and careful. He has a peaceful smile on his face, although you know his thoughts are probably a lot more serious.

He finishes quickly, putting his food on a plate. He then comes to sit next to you, sighing contentedly and starting to eat. You both finish your food in a few minutes, and you hum when you do, stretching and yawning off the last of your sleep. Robert yawns when you do, shaking his head, but he nevertheless grins and picks the plates up. He then takes them to the sink, rinsing them off before placing them in the washing bowl.

He returns to his seat, going to speak and taking your hand gently. However, before he can talk, there is the sound of soft, near inaudible footsteps near the door. You both glance up as someone walks in.

Byron enters, his body still showing the after effects of sleep. His hair is a bit messy and his gaze is soft, almost simple, unlike his usual calculating stare. 

You beam at him. "Good morning."

He rests his eyes on you, smiling back slightly. He responds in a husky voice that makes your stomach flutter. "Good morning, Princess." He wanders over to you and Robert, coming to stand between your chairs, before he leans down to kiss your head. He then pulls back, his expression becoming more observant and processing, while you try to control the blood rushing to your face at the random show of affection. "I see you've both had breakfast."

You nod, smiling. "Yeah, but I didn't know when everyone was going to wake up, so I didn't make everyone food. Do you want some?"

You go to stand up, ready to make food for him, but Robert catches your waist and tugs you onto his lap before you can. You squeak, feeling him lock his arms around your middle, as he pulls you against his chest.

You find yourself thinking about how Robert is very calm and keeps to himself a lot, but has these random moments of being very affectionate with you and getting a lot closer. It tends to be when you’re alone with him, or with Giles, Byron or Leo. This, however, is a lot more bold than usual, and you are once again struck with the thought that they've all been touching you a lot more than usual while you've been here.

"Ah, ah." He tuts, sounding more amused than actually chiding. "You said you would relax and be lazy."

Oh, yeah. You forgot about that. "Whoops."

He chuckles into your ear, resting his lips against the shell, and you try not to shiver in his arms. Byron eyes you closely. He raises an eyebrow, and Robert explains, "I told her to stop trying to make things like food and drinks for everyone, since she does it so much in her house and never lets us help her. She's to be lazy while she's here."

Byron smiles now, nodding with a satisfied look. He starts to prepare some eggs for himself, using the ones already out, while saying over his shoulder, "I agree completely. You need to let us do some of the work."

Robert smiles against your ear when you pout playfully, slouching against him. He just rocks you from side to side rhythmically, murmuring a Norwegian lullaby in your ear. The words are sweet and beautiful, spilling from his mouth, the most soothing of music.

Byron finishes making a few eggs quite quickly, then gets himself some cutlery and puts the eggs on a plate. He slips into your chair, smiling slyly. It spreads into a grin upon seeing your mock-offended look at him stealing your chair, before he puts the plate down. He then reaches down, under the table, to move your legs across his lap and leave them there.

You can't help but smile again, feeling your heart stutter a bit in your chest at the sensation of Robert embracing your upper body. You’re now sat facing Byron, while your legs rest on the latter's thighs.

"So," Byron starts, popping a piece of egg in his mouth before swallowing it. "How long have you two been up? It seems it's rather late. I don't think I've slept this late for two days on the run in quite a while."

Robert answers, bouncing you in his lap a bit. You fail to stifle a giggle, which makes them both smile. "I've only been up perhaps fifteen minutes. And yes, I also haven't slept like this in a long time." His smile widens into a soft, toothy grin, and he loosens his grip on you a bit to take your hands, squeezing them gently. "I think it is having the princess with us. She has a rather soothing presence."

Byron takes one look at you, sees your flustered expression and blushing face, before bursting out into long, loud laughter. You duck your head down, only making his guffaws stronger. He shakes his head while he settles, Robert now chuckling heartily in your ear. Byron places a hand on your ankle, rubbing it tenderly. "She does indeed."

You put your hands on your face, trying to answer normally despite your quickly reddening cheeks and rising heart rate. “I’ve been up for about twenty-five minutes.” 

He nods, smiling a bit. “Did you sleep well? Did you wake up again?”

You shake your head, feeling your face cooling down now. Thank God. “I slept really well. I didn’t wake up at all; I must have been pretty tired.”

Robert sighs slightly at that, the sound seeming like one of relief. “Good. If you need to talk to us about something, no matter what it is, please do. We will always be here to listen and help.”

You smile at that, tipping your head back to look up at him. “I know. Thank you. You all know you can always come to me if you need me.”

He grins softly, pecking your forehead. “Thank you, Princess.”

A few minutes later, Byron finishes his eggs and starts to wash the dishes, declining your offer to help. “However,” He adds afterwards, glancing at you over his shoulder. “If you want to help, could you perhaps go and see if anyone is awake, specifically Al and Nico?”

You beam, glad to be able to do something to help. “Yep!” You give Robert a smile before squeezing his hands, then slide off his lap. “I’ll go see who’s up.”

You give them a mini wave as you leave the room, hearing their gentle laughter behind you. The sound, and the feeling of their eyes on your back as you go out, sends tingles and prickles running through you, and you exhale slowly to settle them. You then proceed to hop up the stairs, heading straight for the big room. You slowly open the door, slipping inside and seeing that the lights are on low again.

You have to pause for a second, becoming confused almost instantly.

First off, Leo and Alyn are awake and seem to be fighting (again). Alyn is pinning Leo down while Leo holds Alyn’s wrists, keeping him away from him while he tries to wriggle out from under the stronger Crawford. Alyn is swearing and hissing at his twin, face flushed, but Leo just seems to be finding it all hilarious.

Then, Albert is awake and has his glasses on, but looks almost murderous. That would probably be because Nico is clinging onto him from behind, apparently still asleep and using him as a human teddy bear.

Sid is smirking to himself, doing something on his phone, while he lazes back on the bed. His shirt has ridden up, you notice, and you can see the defined muscles of his abs as he lies there.

Quickly diverting your gaze, you look to Giles, seeing him sat with his hands over Louis’ ears, the latter still asleep and looking peaceful despite the noise from the fighting. Giles doesn’t seem like he’s inclined to stop the two, probably because he’s already tried and they haven’t listened, and so now he just sits there with his eyes closed.

Those who are awake look up as the door opens, though.

Leo pretty much fly kicks Alyn off him, sending said russet-haired boy rolling across the bed and onto the floor. He hits the ground with a thud, cussing. Sid glances up from his phone and looks over, his smirk stretching into a grin when he spots you. Albert immediately turns around, throwing Nico off him before sitting up, his face quickly going red. Giles opens his eyes and moves his gaze to you, smiling kindly when he registers who you are.

You take a moment to process what’s just happened, and then you shake your head, laughing lightly. You walk forward, heaving Alyn to his feet and ignoring his hands as they slap at you. “You okay?”

He just grunts, glaring at Leo. He gets a wink in response, to which he huffs. He mutters to himself while he looks away and starts to search for his phone. You look over to Albert when he stands up, fixing his clothes swiftly and trying to get his hair somewhat neat. You smirk. “Another twelve o’clock wake up, Al? Is it still a one-off?”

He freezes, then turns to glare daggers at you, scowling intensely. You snort, watching him stalk past you and to the door. You just sigh amusedly, seeing Louis completely still and not showing signs of consciousness. “Is he still asleep?”

Sid laughs darkly. “Yep. Lazy bastard, he could sleep through world war three.”

You have to fight back a smile at that. “Hey, if he’s tired, let him sleep. That’s what holidays are for.”

He snickers, then puts his phone down before motioning for you to come over. “Holidays are also for chilling. C’mere, Princess. I want a hug.”

Your smile surfaces now, stomach clenching in a pleasant way. You walk over, hopping onto the bed. When you are next to him, he tugs you down, on top of him, before encasing you in a tight hug. You curl up on him, feeling how warm he is even through the cover. His arms bind around your back, and he murmurs into your hair with what feels like a smug smile, “Six days, Princess.”

Your smile widens, happiness bursting in you at the thought. You let out a breathy laugh, nodding. “Good.” You look up now, glancing around the room. “Does anyone want any breakfast? I made egg and sausages before, but there’s a load of other stuff as well.”

Before any of the others can respond, Alyn, phone now in hand, approaches you. He then reaches out, flicking you on the forehead hard enough to make you jump and pull back in surprise. “You’re supposed to be lazy while you’re here. Like Byron said, you always do this stuff at your house, so give yourself a break. Geez, stop being so nice for once.”

You notice that he’s blushing a bit, most probably from the last sentence. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, Mr. Blush-A-Lot.”

He bares his teeth at that, growling out, “Oh, shut up. I’m not blushing.” However, he completely proves you right when he turns, quickly exiting the room.

You snort again. “He tries so hard to seem like he doesn’t care.”

Leo laughs now, getting up and stretching. “Yep. And he seriously does blush so easily. It’s hilarious.” He sighs, shaking out his hair. “Well, I’m gonna go get some food. Anyone coming?”

Nico, having been slowly waking up and trying to compute what’s going on up until this point, now nods and slides off the bed. “I will.” He makes a face, grumbling, “Otherwise I don’t think I’ll survive training.”

You have to smile at his adorable expression, saying encouragingly, “I’ll come cheer for you. You can do it.”

He smiles back at that, making his way to the door. Leo walks next to him, dropping a hand on the smaller boy’s head while he teases, “Come on, pipsqueak. You’ll be fine.”

Nico starts to whine at him and try to get his hand off as they go out, and your eyes close, your mind relaxed and content. You listen to the thudding of Sid’s heart, directly under your ear. Your insides stir, hearing the beating pick up slightly when you rest your hand on his chest.

Giles chuckles quietly, and your eyes open, allowing you to see him standing up and gracefully getting off the bed. “I think I will also go and get food. Please, Sid, try not to murder Louis. Or if you do, wait until he wakes up to at least give him a chance.”

Sid chuckles lowly, giving him a thumbs-up. “Will do.” Giles goes out, shaking his head with a smile. That leaves just you, Sid and a still sleeping Louis in the room. “I’m so tempted to push him off the bed.”

You give him a look. “Don’t.” His eyes gain a mischievous glint, and you pull back a bit, giving him a warning stare. “Sid, I’ll have to kick you again. Don’t do it.”

He rolls his eyes, shifting one of his legs to be bent up, your body leaning against it. “Fine, fine, whatever. But seriously, stop with the nutshots. That was like the incarnation of Satan punching me in the balls.”

You burst into giggles at that, unable to stifle them at his crude words. You drop your head against his chest again, shoulders shaking, while you attempt to quieten your laughs. It takes a few minutes for you to calm yourself, and when you do, you hear Louis make a soft sighing noise. You look over as he turns over, then reaches up to rub his eyes. He sits up slowly, blond hair messy but still framing his face beautifully. “Princess?”

Your chest twinges, adoration rising up in your heart at the way he says the word. The fact that it’s the first thing he says upon waking up, and how his gentle voice caresses the nickname, sets your heart racing.

You smile at him from your position, still lying on Sid’s chest, before you raise your torso up a bit. Sid’s arms contract around your waist, but you ignore him, instead replying to Louis softly, “Good morning. Did I wake you up?”

He takes a moment to think, then shakes his head, eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks as he blinks. “No.” He looks around the room, taking in the nearly empty bed. “What time is it?”

You pull your iPod out of your hoodie pocket where you put it earlier, quickly having a look at the time. “12:27. Half twelve, pretty much.” You grin at him. “Did you have a nice sleep?”

He nods, smiling back slightly. “Yes, I slept right through. This bed is very comfortable.”

You nod at that. “It really is- aah!”

You are cut off by your own scream as Sid tightens his grip on your middle, then suddenly flips you both over, so that you are under him. You hit the mattress and bounce slightly, blushing intensely when Sid grabs your hands and pins them above your head. He smirks. “That reminds me. We didn’t finish our fight last night.”

You realise that he’s right, but you feel like he’s doing this now to piss off Louis. “I don’t think now’s the time-”

“Sid, let her go.” Louis snaps, glaring heatedly at the Grandier. Said boy just snorts, feeling you trying to get wrists out from under his hands. He leans forward, moving your hands to be restrained by one of his, laughing out,

“Now I can stop you if you try to kick me again.” He then gives Louis an almost acidic smirk, drawling out, “We’re just playing. Calm your shit.”

Louis scowls, now kneeling. He glances at you. “It doesn’t look like it to me.”

Sid looks down at you, raising an eyebrow. “Want me to stop? I’ll take it as a surrender.”

Although you don’t really want to choose to lose, you know it’s just upsetting Louis. Swallowing your pride, you sigh and go limp under him.

“To be honest, I just want you two to stop fighting, and to stop trying to piss each other off,” You raise an eyebrow back at him at this, making it clear you’re directing a considerable amount of the blame at him. “But that’s evidently not going to happen, so yes. I surrender. Can you get off me, please?”

Sid stares at you for a few seconds, something foreign and bordering on vulnerable flashing through his eyes. Suddenly, he scoffs, releasing your wrists and rolling off you. He stands up, not looking back as he swipes his phone and makes his way to the door. “Whatever. Thanks for ruining the mood once again, Louis!”

He then goes out, and the room is silent. You shake your head where you lie, lowering your hands to rub your face.

They just can’t do it. They’ve lashed out at each other and fought for years non-stop, and you don’t know how to get them to quit it. They’ve got their reasons, but you just wish they would get along, or at least be civil when they talk to one another.

“___?” Louis’ voice is very quiet and small as he says your name, almost hesitant. You take your hands away from your face, looking over at him. His eyes are downcast, his expression almost ashamed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

You know he’s sorry. You try to smile, nodding. “I know, Louis. It’s fine.”

He watches your face for a moment, and then he lies down, his body perpendicular to yours. He carefully rests his head on your stomach, his gaze still lowered, before he murmurs, “I think I feel like he’s had your attention a lot while we’ve been here. It’s not fair of me to do it, but I’m trying to keep you away from him, because I feel like he’s stealing you from us.”

The pain in his voice, similar to the pain you hear when he talks about when he was bullied, sends a shot of guilt through your heart. Your stomach twists, your thoughts diverting to the fact that this, essentially, is jealousy once again.

Regardless, you reach down to place your hands on his hair and cheek, stroking soothingly, touch light. “Louis,” You sigh out. “He’s not stealing me at all. Yes, he’s spent a lot of time with me while we’ve been here, but that doesn’t mean he’s getting me all the time. You had quite a while with me yesterday, like in the car. The likes of Giles, Robert and Albert hardly got any time with me, even though they might not have wanted it, and that’s fine. However, for the people who do want time with me, we need to try to balance it out. I can’t be with everyone at once, and I doubt that’s what you want anyway.”

He is quiet for a moment. “That’s true.” He finally agrees after a few seconds, voice quiet. He then glances up at you, beautiful icy eyes focused solely on you. “Can I… have some time with you now, then? While Sid’s not here, at least?”

You find a soft smile gracing your lips at his imploring tone, knowing that he genuinely doesn’t like Sid and is desperate to have your attention. You don’t have anywhere in particular you need to be, or anything you need to do, so you nod. “Okay.”

He looks relieved at that. A breath drifts out of his lips as he closes his eyes, shifting so that his body is more parallel to yours, his torso now draped over your leg. His arms come up, winding around your waist, before he presses his face into your stomach harder.

You try not to let your muscles tense up, the feeling of his face so close to such a sensitive area, and one which your instincts say to protect and not expose, stirring up a lot of mixed signals. Your body seems confused at how to react, on one hand loving the contact while simultaneously rejecting it. You don’t understand what’s going on.

Still, you continue to stroke his golden hair tenderly, brushing the strands away from his face. Your fingertips brush across his forehead and the side of his face, the movement repetitive and rhythmic, soothing and calming him. You can feel his chest shifting against your thigh with each of his paced breaths. His body is warm, but not so much that it’s overwhelming or uncomfortable. It’s nice.

You stay there for a while, then momentarily remove your hands to drag a few more pillows over to you. You put them under your head and back, allowing your torso to be tilted upwards slightly. You let your head fall to the side, keeping on running your hands over Louis’ hair and delicate features.

Your eyes slowly move around the room, taking in all the furniture and games scattered around. Looking up, you notice that the ceiling is black with white dots scattered across it, giving it the impression of being a night-time sky. You are almost certain that Byron was the one to request that, and you smile at the thought of him staring at the stars while he falls asleep.

Not too long later, the door slowly opens. You look over, but Louis doesn’t so much as move, remaining completely still in his prone position. You watch as Robert steps into the room, finding you both swiftly. His expression becomes gentle, and he makes his way over, coming to perch next to you on the bed.

“Are you alright?” He asks, his tone hushed. You nod.

“Yeah, thanks.” You smile, not wanting to mention that Louis wanted some time with you.

Robert says nothing for a moment, and then he glances down at Louis. “Is he asleep?”

You wait for a few seconds, seeing if Louis responds himself. He doesn’t, so you trace your thumbs over his cheekbones, then over his eyebrows and forehead. “Louis?” Your voice is ever so gentle when you say his name. “Are you awake?”

He inhales deeply, then lets out a soft noise of acknowledgement, curling his arms around you tighter. Robert chuckles.

“I just came up to make sure you were both alright. Sid told us what happened.” You nod, feeling him lie down next to you. He puts his arm around your shoulder, bending it to twist your hair around his fingers. He smiles a little. “Byron, Nico, Albert, Sid and Alyn are going to start training soon. Do you want to join them?”

You think on that for a moment. You don’t really want to train, but you want to help the others where possible. “I don’t think I’ll train right now, but I’ll help the others if they need it.”

He nods back. “Alright.” He glances down at the blond on your stomach, his smile weakening. “Louis?” Another noise comes from him, and the smile returns with another laugh. “Would you mind if I had a word with you in a minute?”

Louis heaves out a breath, eyebrows scrunching up. He buries his face in your hoodie, practically crushing your waist from hugging it so hard. However, he doesn’t say no, and you smile as you reach under your back to take his hands. With some struggling and gentle encouragement from Robert, you manage to get him to release your middle, then roll off the bed before he can cling to you again. You wave at the two, getting one back from Robert, since Louis has dropped his head onto the covers once more.

You’re getting worried about him. He seems tired – too tired – and almost fatigued, and you don’t know why.

Trying to shake this off for the moment, you wander downstairs, where it is quiet. After searching the kitchen and living room and finding them empty, you go to the hallway where the door to the training room is. Seeing the panel out and door open, you go down, your footsteps silent against the stairs.

Upon entering the room, you see Byron and Albert making their way across the rings suspended from the ceiling. Your pace falters for a moment, your concentration temporarily focused on them. Their muscles ripple through their torsos and arms, flexing and glistening in the light when they move. Their swings are strong as they move their hips for momentum, staying next to each other but remaining in a constant rhythm.

Realising you’re sort of staring at them, you move your gaze, swallowing hard. You see Alyn on the treadmill, running moderately quickly, staring at the wall. His jaw is clenched, and he looks borderline homicidal; Leo leans on the front of the treadmill, chattering away to him. You know, though, that he’s probably just waffling nonsense to get on Alyn’s nerves, which actually helps him to train harder. They’re an odd pair.

Sid is on the side of the room opposite to Alyn, and is using the high bar to do some pull-ups. Again, his muscles show, clear and strong and defined, as he lifts his body up and lowers it again smoothly. He grunts as he does, eyes on the bar.

Lastly, Nico and Giles are training together, currently engaged in a seemingly playful but still real duel with some of the broadswords. They dance around each other, both of their steps lithe and almost cat-like. Every few seconds, one of them lunges, and the other parries perfectly, sending them into their circling once more.

_Well, don’t I feel unhealthy?_

You grumble to yourself, shaking your head. You shrug your hoodie off, leaving you in your indigo shirt and white shorts, before looking around the room. You purse your lips, trying to decide what to do. You could train, but… effort. Eh, you can do it later.

“Hey, Princess!” You hear Leo call from across the room, and you look over at him curiously. He motions for you to go over to him, and you do so, jogging to him where he remains leaning over Alyn’s treadmill. He stands up straight when you approach, grinning brightly and hooking an arm around your neck. “Sleep well?”

You nod, feeling a smile tugging at your lips. “Yeah, really well. You?”

He nods, looking pleased with himself. “That’s good. I slept like a baby, I’m not going to lie. Then again, I always do when I’m with you.”

You have to look away at that, your mind creating a few innuendos that you could really do without at the moment. Well, you’re also looking away to hide the quickly forming blush on your face (which seems to be happening a lot lately). “Well, I’m glad you’re sleeping.”

He goes to respond, but you’re both distracted by the sound of metal clashing together as it rings through the room. You glance over, seeing Nico and Giles, their swords crossed between them, both trying to outdo the other in strength. Nico is smiling wickedly, whilst Giles looks calm, but a confident smirk is gracing his lips.

Nico lets out a dark laugh, taunting, “Come on then, Giles! I’m getting old over here!”

Giles’ smirk widens marginally. “Not quite. As far as I recall, you’re the second youngest here. You should remember that, child.”

Nico’s smile flattens, his eyebrow twitching slightly. They both stare at each other, willing their opponent to give up. Neither of them do for at least thirty seconds straight.

Then, all of a sudden, Giles moves. He twists around, knocking Nico’s sword to the side. The latter manages to keep his grip on it, but his face betrays his shock at Giles’ speed, increasing when the taller male lurches forward, arcing his sword at Nico’s middle. You know the swords have rubber covers on the edges, from talking to Albert yesterday, but your stomach still clenches when Nico jumps back, the edge of the weapon coming dangerously close to his torso.

And before Nico can even try to recover from this, Giles finishes the duel.

He darts forward, using the distraction of his sword to get in close. He swaps his own sword to his other hand, then spins around and grab Nico’s sword arm. He throws his body forward, bending over, before pulling Nico’s arm. Nico’s body sails over him, for a moment suspended in the air, while his sword rotates under him at Giles’ side. He then hits the mats on the floor, although the impact isn’t too bad, since Giles keeps hold of his arm and stops him from hitting his head.

You see Nico’s pupils expand as Giles smiles, raising an eyebrow. Still restraining Nico’s sword arm, he briefly presses the tip of his own to Nico’s throat, tapping it lightly. “That should teach you to respect your elders.”

He then releases Nico’s arm before he dances away from the downed Meier. You grin, elated that he won; he has always enjoyed duelling and protecting people, but his condition complicates things, so you know it’s amazing for him when he wins. Especially against Nico, who specialises in fencing and duelling.

So, you clap for him, and Leo joins you without a second’s hesitation. Giles beams back, real happiness bursting in his eyes like stars. He laughs breathlessly, then reaches a hand down to Nico when the smaller boy sits up, frowning with a disgruntled expression. This disappears, though, at the kind look in Giles’ eyes, and Nico instead laughs before he takes Giles’ hand, seeming to accept his defeat now.

He lets himself be pulled to his feet, then gives Giles a one-armed hug. Giles gives it back as they both chuckle, their swords held in their free hands, taking a breather. It makes warmth and joy blossom within your heart, seeing the camaraderie between them, seeing that there are no hard feelings between them even after a duel, and seeing them comfortable to be close like they are. You love to watch them being happy with each other.

They walk over to you both, an arm still around each other, breathing heavily. “Damn,” Nico pants out, but he’s still laughing while he says it. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Giles shakes his head, carefully pushing his hair away from his face with his hand, still holding his sword. “Honestly, I didn’t plan it. I just improvised.”

They are both sent into another bout of laughter at that, and Leo smiles next to you, his expression content while he watches the two. “Hey, Nico.” The latter looks up, tilting his head. “How did it feel to fly? I think you were a few feet up just now.”

Nico bursts into giggles at that, leaning against Giles. He puts the tip of his sword on the floor. “It was weird. I didn’t even know what had happened until I hit the floor, so I sort of thought gravity disappeared for a second, until I realised that he flipped me.”

You and Leo laugh with him at that for a few seconds. You look behind you, though, as you hear two thuds, seeing Byron and Albert dropping down from the last sets of rings and onto the floor. They straighten up almost in sync, and then Byron gives Albert a rare grin, patting him on the back. Albert laughs quietly, very softly, but it’s a sound that makes your heart flutter in your chest. You barely ever hear him laugh, so it’s amazing to witness it now, and to see him smile properly while he does, his expression devoid of tension and stress for once.

Albert goes to get a drink, still smiling to himself, as Byron approaches you and the other four. Alyn has been quiet this whole time, still running on the treadmill, and you grin up at him. You teasingly reach out, as if to turn up the speed on the treadmill. He slaps your hand away, rolling his eyes, but there is a hint of a smile on his lips.

Byron nods when he comes over, his breathing slightly laboured from the strain of holding himself up for so long. He looks to Giles, his eyes showing respect and what looks like pride. “Well done. That was an impressive duel.”

Giles nods back, still smiling a little. “Thank you.” He gives Nico a light squeeze that he gets back, laughing out, “This one is quick, though. I think I almost lost a few times there.”

Byron chuckles, reaching out to ruffle Nico’s hair. “He is rather fast, I’ll admit. You definitely deserved the victory, though.”

As he says this, your eyes move to his right side, where you can see Sid still doing pull-ups on the bar. Your smile fades, knowing he’s probably still annoyed over earlier. He’s on his own again, although Albert is too. But, that was by choice.

So, you give the others a quick smile, then make your way over to him. He doesn’t notice you, his eyes completely focused on the bar and his pace now rapid. You can see the muscles in his biceps and forearms straining, and you wince at the thought of how much it must hurt to do that for so long.

You say nothing, though. Instead, you simply walk across the mats surrounding the bar, then plop down on one of them, to the bar’s left. You cross your legs, absently tracing shapes and letters into the ground. You smile a bit, remembering the set of runes you all use to communicate with each other. They’re old Norse runes, although you’ve adapted them to create a full equivalent of the Latin alphabet that you can use to write properly in them.

You draw out all of your letters in runes, then the marking you use to tell each other who is with you when you’re split up. It’s a set of lines, with two vertical ones that bend over each other twice, so that their ends cross at the top, and then at the bottom, although they’re longer there. Then, there are two more lines which cross in the same way over the vertical ones, but these are horizontal, and so they touch the bottom two lines as well. Finally, there is a last line which goes through them all, making a sort of stretched “U” shape in the middle.

There have been a few times in your lives when you’ve been split up and have been unable to talk through phones or the likes, and so have drawn this symbol on walls to tell the others where everyone is up to. You all have a place where the rune for the first letter of your name will go, since there are five lines and ten ends in the symbol.

When you’re telling the others who you’re with, you’ll draw the line or lines that are relevant to the people present, then write the runes in their places to make it clear who is there. The others will then, if they see it, do the same with their letters, and hopefully it will allow the group to be brought together again, or at least remain in the same area.

It’s your group’s little secret. No one else outside of the group knows about it, apart from Lucian for security reasons, and no one ever will.

You spend a few minutes absently writing in runes, and drawing the different variations of the symbol into the mat, and then you hear Sid let out a groan of pain. He growls, knuckles turning white around the bar, and you see his arms tremble when he tries to pull himself up. He pants for a few seconds, trying to hold on.

He can’t, though, and then he drops to the floor.

He bends over, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, as he shakes his arms out. He opens them again, looking down at you for a few seconds. You watch him back, seeing him heave out a breath before sitting down next to you heavily. His arms rest on his thighs, crossed under him.

Unsure of whether or not he would appreciate you touching his arms when they might be sore, you move to be kneeling behind him, then place your hands on his shoulders. Your skin is cool against his comparatively burning muscles. He jumps slightly at the sensation, then sighs when you start to gently massage the area, your fingers ever so careful and light as they rub over his shoulders.

He takes a minute to slow his breathing and probably get the feeling back in his arms. He then shakes his head, frowning slightly with his lips twisted.

You swallow, wanting to apologise for earlier. “Sorry for before.”

He just laughs mirthlessly, dragging his hair away from his face for a moment. “Why the hell are you apologising? It was Louis who pissed me off, but I’m probably the one who did wrong, right? I’m an asshole, like I always am. I can’t control my temper with blondie up there.”

You immediately slide around to be in front of him, gripping his shoulders a bit harder to get his attention. He looks up with a raised eyebrow, and you shake your head swiftly. “You’re not, Sid. You know I’m not bothered by play fighting and messing around like we were. You had every justification in doing it; you meant no harm and were ready to get off me as soon as I said so.

“The point that I made, although in a really stupid way, which I’m sorry for, is that you are doing things that will always get on Louis’ nerves. He’s just as bad for lashing out at you upon getting even a little pissed off, and he did just apologise for it, but the best thing for you two to do is avoid each other until you can work something out.

“Whether you need to not speak, or even not look at each other or try to minimise the time you’re together, taking digs like this isn’t helping anyone. I want to be able to play fight with you without upsetting Louis, and so the best way to do that is to just try to keep you both separate for now. I want you two to get along, but until you can, maybe this is what we should focus on.”

He takes a few seconds to process this, jaw clenching. He inhales deeply before nodding, replying lowly, “Alright. I’ll avoid him.”

Seeing the frustration in his eyes, you lift your hands to his face, smiling at him just a bit. “You don’t have to. I’m just suggesting that as an option. The only options I can think of is that one, you both continuing as you are and lashing out and then you both being upset, or solving the issues you have with each other. If you can think of something else, by all means try it. I just hate to see you both like this.”

His expression becomes more even at that. He nods, keeping his eyes on you. You release his face to gently place your right hand on his upper arm, asking softly, “Are you okay?”

His lips twist into his natural smirk at that, the concern in your voice lifting his mood slightly. “Yeah. My arms are killing me and I can’t wait to kick your ass later, but I’m okay.” He smiles more sincerely now, reaching up to hold your hand where it rests on his arm, squeezing it weakly. “And I’m getting more desperate to tell you about the thing. Six fucking days.” He shakes his head again. “Doesn’t matter. Fancy helping me train in a minute?”

Although you sort of want to ask more about him wanting to tell you about the secret, you feel like you shouldn’t. You simply nod. “Yeah, of course. What with?”

He stands up, pulling you up with him, your hand now encased in his. He smirks properly now, snorting and answering, “Basically, I wanted to try something I’ve seen other people do. You know where a person does a push-up with someone sitting on their back? It’s probably going to kill me since my arms are fried, but I want to try it anyway.”

You immediately become concerned. You, sitting on him while he does push ups? You’re not sure that’s going to end well at all. “That sounds a bit dangerous, I’m not going to lie.”

His smirk widens. “You scared?” He snorts. “Yeah, whatever. I’ll go ask Nico to do it, chicken.”

He then lets go of your hand and starts to saunter off to the other end of the room. Your pride practically explodes, and you throw caution to the wind, crossing your arms. “Get your arse back here. I’ll do it. Just don’t blame me when you break your back.”

He swivels around, smugness rolling off him like smoke. You bite your tongue, resisting the urge to whack him on the head, when he stops in front of you and you have to look up because of the height difference. He winks, his smirk somehow getting wider. “As you wish, Princess.”

You just raise your eyebrows, making him let out a bout of laughter. He then gets down on the mat, lying down on his front with his hands in position to push him up. You’re hit by nerves and worry again, but you force them back as you uncross your arms. He glances up at you.

“Hey, seriously, stop worrying. Your pretty face doesn’t suit it.” He snorts at the tint of pink that rises in your cheeks at that, inclining his head towards his back. “Hop on. Just cross your legs and sit up. We’ll try that first.”

You force your nervousness to settle, leaning down to put one of your legs on his back. You then carefully sit on him, crossing your legs and trying to spread your weight out. It takes a moment to get your balance, and then you put your hands on his shoulder blades, nodding somewhat unsurely. “Okay.”

Just as Sid goes to speak, you hear Byron’s voice in front of you, and you look up. Your gaze settles on them, watching them him and the others approach. You notice that Louis and Robert are still not here, but Albert is now stood next to Byron. They all watch you, the likes of Giles, Nico and Leo curious, Byron mildly amused, while Albert and Alyn are unreadable. “Sid, what on earth are you doing?”

Sid looks up, chuckling darkly. “Testing a new method of training. Apparently it’s good for building up stomach muscle, so I thought I may as well try while Princess is here.” He looks up at you. “Ready?”

You nod, steadying yourself. He pushes up slowly, seeming to adjust to the added weight after a few seconds. He lowers himself to the floor, then nods, pushing up again. You keep yourself still and your weight distributed as much as you can, and he gradually builds up a rhythm for himself, keeping his body rigid under you. It’s sort of fun, actually. You start to smile when Sid gains confidence, becoming surer when he gets to ten push-ups.

“You okay, Sid?” You ask at twelve, gently patting his shoulder. He nods, although you can see him sweating now, and he looks like he’s struggling a bit to bring himself up when he gets low to the floor.

“Yeah. It just kind of hurts my back.” He grunts out, forcing himself up again. He goes to say something else, but Albert’s monotonous voice stops him before he has the chance.

“Because you have not distributed her weight across you properly. It will not work if you don’t ensure that she’s positioned correctly.” He nudges his glasses, muttering, “Although it shouldn’t be hurting yet anyway.”

Sid scowls at him from the side, letting his chest touch the floor while he pauses. “Oh?” He jerks his head towards you, his voice challenging. “Go on, then. You do it, if you’re such an expert, Mr. Tough Guy.”

Albert’s cheeks go red almost instantly, and Nico fails to stifle a giggle as the blushing male sputters out, “No thank you! I have my own training to do, and I have no need to use someone else for it!”

Sid’s smirk becomes taunting, his voice becoming more and more suggestive, teasing, “Well then, how should I do this ‘correctly’, huh? How should I position her to get the best results?”

You have to use your hair to hide your face at that, embarrassed by the innuendo behind the words. Nico is still giggling away, tears in his eyes, whilst Leo is snickering and waiting for Albert’s response. Byron looks like he’s trying, although failing miserably, to suppress a smile, and Giles has that teasing look on his face, pointedly staring at Albert. Alyn is smirking, seeming to enjoy Albert’s suffering.

Said brunette looks away, snapping, “Just lie her down on your back! Make sure her centre of mass isn’t concentrated in one area!”

Sid’s smile rips into a grin. “Lie her down? What are her legs supposed to do? And her arms? You’re gonna have to show me how this is gonna work. Is this gonna be like a koala bear hug, or-”

“Christ!” Albert shouts, face now completely burning and almost as bright as the twins’ eyes. “Fine, I’ll do it, since you’re apparently completely incapable of following simple instructions!”

He mutters something that sounds very much insulting, then lowers himself down to be lying on the floor, ready to do a push-up. He whips his head around to look at you, saying sharply, “Well?”

You move, getting off Sid rapidly, knowing that Albert is probably ready to kill someone at this point. You can feel your heart rate picking up at the thought of being this close to Albert, something you don’t think you’ve ever done, not like this. You swallow, hesitating next to him. “How do I need to-”

He rolls his eyes, scoffing. “Is it really that complicated for both of you? Lie down on my back. Keep your body rigid and your legs on top of mine.”

Visualising what he means, you hope you’re going about this right. You nod.

You then kneel down next to him, shifting over so that you have one leg on either side of his hips. You quickly lower your torso down, blushing immensely at the attentive stares of the others, before pulling your legs together and putting them on top of his longer ones. You lock your muscles up, your forehead resting against the nape of his neck.

“Um, Albert?” You mumble timidly, half expecting him to throw you off at any minute. “What do I do with my arms?”

He makes a “Tch” sound, even his ears now turning red. “Whatever you need to in order to keep yourself still. Either put them around my chest or hook them under my shoulders in front of you.”

Which would be more normal to do? Probably putting your arms around his chest, since that’s more like a hug. You decide to do that, although you’re already blushing like mad.

That doesn’t mean you’re not enjoying this, though; the feeling of Albert letting you do this, of letting you be this close, makes your insides spark and tingle. You love that you’re having a moment with him. Because of the way he is, he doesn’t usually let you get close, nor does he really confide in anyone but Byron and sometimes Nico. You worry that he doesn’t feel like he can talk to anyone or be close to them, so it’s good for him to openly show that he trusts you.

Back to the present, you wind your arms around Albert’s chest under you when he lifts up a bit to let you, holding your wrists to keep your grip firm. Albert huffs, turning to you. “Are you ready?”

You nod, keeping yourself as still and rigid as possible. “Yeah.”

He nods back. You see his muscles in his arms flex while he tenses, then slowly pushes up properly. He actually seems to be finding it easier than Sid did, and now a somewhat smug, granted pissed off, but more just victorious smile curls at his lips. He turns to look at said male, still sat on the floor and watching closely. “This is how you do it correctly.”

He does a few more press-ups, steadily getting faster, until you almost bounce a bit when he starts to go down. You glance at Sid through your hair, seeing him looking disgruntled. He rubs the back of his head, scowling at Albert. This, coupled with the happiness you feel from seeing Albert smile, comes together in you and erupts in the form of a quiet giggle. You muffle it with Albert’s neck, but he still glances back at you, asking warily,

“What are you laughing at?” You try to suppress another torrent of laughs, answering,

“Sid looks a tad pissed off. It just made me laugh. Sorry.” You bury your face in his skin, closing your eyes. He keeps going. You wonder if he’s secretly enjoying this, or if he’s just doing it to rub it in Sid’s face.

He is quiet for a moment after you speak. He then murmurs, very softly, almost to himself, “You need not apologise.”

Your heart constricts again, and your smile grows. You hold onto him tighter, appreciating the moment of closeness.

“Oi, I thought you didn’t need to use someone else for training. Give her back.” Sid grumbles from the side, drawing your attention back to reality.

Albert just rolls his eyes, not stopping in the push-ups. “I’m demonstrating that you should be able to do this for much longer with her like this. I have currently done eighteen push-ups and I am not remotely sore or strained. Your method was ill-thought out.”

Sid narrows his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, great. You’re amazing. Now give her back.”

Byron speaks now, raising an eyebrow. He looks like he’s enjoying Sid’s annoyance, though. “Perhaps Albert should try doing a full set of push-ups like this, instead of his normal ones, and then Sid can try to match it.” He looks at Albert now, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips. “That’s if Al wants to continue, of course.”

Sid gives Byron the finger, to which he just gets a satisfied smirk in response. Albert thinks for a moment, still doing the push-ups, before nodding. “Perhaps it would be more effective to do these push-ups instead. Besides,” He glances at Sid, raising an eyebrow just like Byron did. “I hardly think that one would be able to do fifty of these.”

Sid growls, snapping, “Give her here and I’ll show you how wrong you are.”

Albert just scoffs. “You will wait.”

You have been counting the push-ups since he said he did eighteen, and now you grin, giving him a gentle hug while you lie atop him. “Twenty-five. Halfway there.”

He makes a sound of acknowledgement, nodding slightly. It’s quiet for a while as Alyn goes to use the rings, Nico and Giles go on the treadmills and Byron goes on the high bar. Sid does some sit-ups next to you and Albert, still waiting to finish his push-ups, and Leo sits on one of the benches, doing something on his phone.

It’s oddly relaxing, as you lie on Albert and listen to his steady, controlled breathing, feeling the tension increasing and decreasing in his muscles as he comes up and then lowers himself down again. He’s warm to the touch and now sweating a bit, but that doesn’t bother you. You’re completely content, focusing on his strength and stability, the way he supports you both. Never faltering once, powering his way through.

“Forty. Almost done.” You utter softly when he reaches said number, your cheek against the back of his neck. He nods, and because your eyes are closed, you don’t catch the small but very genuine smile that graces his lips. His gaze gentle for once, he glances back at you. Seeing you looking so happy and relaxed and safe with him, this close to him again…

He shakes his head, looking forward once more. He’s still smiling, though.

Another ten push-ups go by and he isn’t particularly out of breath or in pain, and you give him a light squeeze. “All done.” You hum, beaming against his skin. He lowers himself down, his body relaxing under you, and you climb off him before sitting cross-legged next to him. You watch as he sits up slowly, kneeling up before fixing his glasses and exhaling. “You okay?”

He nods. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for your assistance.”

You have to laugh at that, responding, “Hey, don’t thank me. You’re the one that just did fifty push-ups with me on your back. I should be thanking you, so, thanks.”

He just shakes his head, a small smile teasing at his mouth.

“Hey, Princess.” You turn around, looking at Sid. He smirks. “Ready to help me too?”

**♡♔♡** **  
**


	9. Part IX | Human Bench Presses, the Dawn of Truth, and a Weak Spot.

**♡♔♡**

**_Previously:_ **

_Another ten push-ups go by and he isn’t particularly out of breath or in pain, and you give him a light squeeze. “All done.” You hum, beaming against his skin. He lowers himself down, his body relaxing under you, and you climb off him before sitting cross-legged next to him. You watch as he sits up slowly, kneeling up before fixing his glasses and exhaling. “You okay?”_

_He nods. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for your assistance.”_

_You have to laugh at that, responding, “Hey, don’t thank me. You’re the one that just did fifty push-ups with me on your back. I should be thanking you, so, thanks.”_

_He just shakes his head, a small smile teasing at his mouth._

_“Hey, Princess.” You turn around, looking at Sid. He smirks. “Ready to help me too?”_

**♡♔♡**

All you can do is roll your eyes, but you’re grinning nonetheless. You knee-walk over to him while he lies down, getting in position. You then drop your torso against his back, wriggling your hips over his until your legs are in the right place. He is smirking, watching you with one eye, as you get comfortable, then tense up against him. He lifts himself up slowly, allowing you to bind your arms around his chest and secure yourself against him.

“I hate to admit it, but this is much better. Fuck you, Albert.” He comments, starting to do the push-ups properly. Albert glances down at him, looking unimpressed.

“Right back at you, weakling.” He then stalks off, leaving Sid gaping at him with a scowl. He growls again, the sound vibrating and rumbling through his body into yours. You find yourself giggling on top of him, watching Albert walk away with that sassy confidence he has.

“Use the anger, Sid. Vent into the push-ups.” You chuckle out, resting your face against the back of his neck like you did with Albert. He grunts, muttering to himself annoyedly, but he does as you say. He does the push-ups swiftly but still properly, going low to the floor and keeping his body straight.

You murmur encouragements to him, eyes closed, your voice soft in his ear. “Just imagine punching Alyn or Albert in the face, or kicking them in the nuts if that makes you feel better.”

He howls with laughter at that, his grimace turning into a fierce grin. “That’s my girl. That’s a much better image to work with.”

In what feels like no time at all, Sid surpasses fifty push-ups, sweating and skin burning but not in need of stopping. He carries on, and you chirp to him where he is up to every ten push-ups. When he gets to eighty, you notice that he’s starting to shake badly and his face betrays pain. “Sid? You might want to stop. You’re going to hurt yourself. You’ve more than beaten Albert.”

Said brunette has finished his training now, and is sat on the bench, drinking some water. He glances over at Sid, narrowing his eyes at the fact that he’s still going. You see Sid wink at him, and then he calls, trying to mask the agony in his voice, “Eighty! Suck it!”

Albert scowls, looking irritated. You force back another round of giggles, chiding playfully, “Oh, stop rubbing it in. Come on. You’re going to end up smashing your face into the floor.”

He does a few more anyway, and then he does a repeat of yesterday. He drops onto the mat hard enough to make you yelp, going down hard when he’s unable to stay upright. You wince, feeling his torso fall and crush your hands, and he jerks his torso up while he pants out, “Fuck, move your hands. Either they’re going to break, or my ribs are.”

You pull your hands out from under him straight away, and he hits the mat again, groaning for a few seconds. You let out a snort, sitting up so that you’re not squashing his chest while he gets his breath back. With your legs on either side of his hips, you sit on the bottom of his back, crossing your arms with a smug look. “Told you so.”

He reaches back, aiming a whack on the side of your head that you know is completely playful. You jerk back and avoid the hit. He huffs, then suddenly changes his target, giving you a gentler whack on the side of your thigh. You jump, surprised at the contact and the clapping sound that comes from your skin, but quickly still at the sensation of excitement shooting through you.

It’s happening again. Their touches are becoming more and more difficult to ignore, and they’re drawing reactions from you that you don’t get at all.

Still, you try your best to shake this off, giving him a slap on the back of his head. “Bastard. You should have listened.”

He rolls his eyes. “Oh, screw you. Fine. You were right. Happy?”

You smirk victoriously, nodding. “Yep. Good boy.” You ruffle his hair, deliberately tugging on the bobble holding the longer strands together, before you bounce up and dance away from him. You sprint for it, knowing he’s probably going to execute that murder plan the boys mentioned yesterday.

Byron is currently stood near Albert, having now finished his training. He watches with an amused smile as you run over, holding a hand out to you. You make a beeline for him, hearing Sid scrambling to his feet with a curse. When you reach Byron, you grab his hand, then use his body as cover, standing behind him. You place your other hand on his shoulder blade, peeking around his bicep to watch Sid stop a few feet away. Byron remains still, apparently not very bothered by Sid’s narrowed eyes.

“Hey, Princess. C’mere. I’ve got something to show you.” He says, but you know he’s bullshitting.

“No thanks.” You reply, giving him a wink.

Byron glances back at you now, raising an eyebrow. “What have you done now?”

You stifle a smirk, feeling his warm hand around yours. He squeezes it gently. “Nothing. I just told him that he was going to whack his face on the floor if he didn’t give up with the push-ups, and he did. I then I may or may not have messed his hair up after telling him that I told him so, after he face-planted the floor.”

A small grin slips onto Byron’s face, eyes twinkling with what looks like pride and adoration. A deep, throaty laugh escapes him, sending your heart fluttering, before he tugs you to be stood in front of him. He wraps his arms around you from behind, kissing your hair before he chuckles out, “Well then, he can’t touch you. You were right.”

Sid sends a glare in your direction, stalking off toward the mini fridge. “Watch your ass, Princess.”

You just stick your tongue out at his back, calling back, “Try me.”

Byron leans down now, resting his chin on your shoulder. You stand on your toes, trying to lessen how much he has to crane his neck. “Enjoying yourself?”

You nod, leaning back into him and beaming at him. “Yep.”

He hums, closing his eyes for a moment, as if he’s thinking. “Good.” He gazes at you now, asking almost mischievously, “However, I have another opportunity for you to get on Sid’s nerves.”

You turn your head, meeting his stare. Your smile shifts into a scheming smirk. “Go on.”

He laughs lowly, glancing at Sid. Said Grandier is currently downing a bottle of water. “I think he was trying to get back at me for yesterday by doing his experimental training method, so I thought up another one. I am offering to try it with you in the hopes of invalidating his efforts earlier, which will probably be extremely frustrating for him.”

Although you’re almost nervous for what Byron’s training is, the idea of pissing Sid off is very appealing and tempting. You lick your lips, trying to think of what the training might be. You can’t really imagine what the possibilities are, so you decide to just go for it and hope for the best. “I accept. What’s the training?”

He smiles into your shoulder, then straightens up, his expression becoming more serious. “I would rather do it where there are mats, since there is a possibility it may go wrong and I wouldn’t want you to be hurt.” Without any further warning, he bends down, then scoops you up and into his arms. You squeak, not expecting to suddenly be carried. He just smiles a bit again, walking over to the mats.

When he gets there, he looks down at you. “Do you trust me?”

What sort of a question is that? If you didn’t trust him by now, you’d both probably be dead or dying. “Of course.”

He smirks. “Thank you. If you would, tense your muscles. You will need to be still for this to work.”

Now becoming increasingly suspicious and slightly worried, you give him a look and narrow your eyes. However, you do as he says, tightening your body up until you’re as rigid as you can get in your position. He apparently feels this and nods.

Without giving you any sort of warning, his arm under your thigh slips backward, toward him, and his hand places itself under your right thigh. You go to panic, your balance now completely off and up to him. However, at his warning look, you go back to locking your body up. You clench your jaw, trusting in him. He gives you an encouraging look, then places his hand in such a way that his wrist is just under the edge of your other thigh.

“Could you cross your legs for me?” He asks, looking far too at ease while he glances at you.

You nod, moving the leg farthest from him over the closer one at the knee, keeping it stone still. He smiles slightly, now able to rest both of your legs under his palm more comfortably. “Good. Now, I need you to stay still, and to hold onto my neck for a moment.”

You do as he says, your faith in his ability stronger than before. You loop your arms around his neck, supporting your upper body’s weight. He swiftly moves the arm under your back to press the attached palm against your back, between your shoulder blades but more away from him, then shifting his stance to balance you on both hands. When he's steady and confident in his grip on you, he nods, looking at you again.

“Alright, you can let go now. You can either hold your arms at your sides or cross them over your chest. Just do it slowly, and make sure you’re still tensing up as you do. If you feel like you’re falling, try to keep still. If I can’t hold you up, I will put you down as gently as I can. This is essentially a longer version of how I threw you in the pool.” You take a moment to ready yourself, nodding at his reassuring tone.

When you’re happy for him to proceed, you slowly let go of his neck. You feel wobbly for a brief second, but he moves, balancing out again. You gradually move your arms over your chest, crossing them and tightening your muscles. Eyes on the ceiling, you feel him grip your thigh a bit harder, moving himself slightly to readjust his balance.

Then, he slowly pushes you up, lifting you above his head in a human overhead press. You’re struck with the fear of falling, certain that he won’t be able to support your weight, but you close your eyes and chew on your lower lip, thinking of his calming voice and confidence. He knows what he’s doing. He’ll catch you if you fall. He always does.

He lowers you down again, nodding to himself. He lifts you again, more surely and smoothly this time, and you feel the difference now that he’s done it once. You feel more confident _in him_ , and in his strength. You know he can do it, that he can hold you up. You let out the breath you’ve been holding through your nose, lip still held between your teeth. You make sure you’re not relaxing your muscles anywhere, feeling him repeat the lift again and again.

As you are there, supported by him, suspended above him, you become aware of the fact that you’re being watched. Your eyes open, shifting to look around the room. The first thing you spot is Louis and Robert, now in the room, watching Byron from the doorway. Robert is leaning against the wall, smiling softly at the sight of you two. Louis’ expression is passive, but his eyes are at ease, so hopefully his talk with Robert wasn’t too upsetting.

On the bench, Albert, Alyn and Sid are sitting down. Albert is watching you and Byron closely, seemingly taking in your forms and the way in which Byron lifts you, but there is a look of admiration in his eyes. His lips are curled upwards ever so slightly, pride clear in his gaze. Alyn seems somewhat impressed, watching Byron, but his gaze flickers to you every few seconds. He looks cautious, as if he’s marginally worried that you’re going to get dropped, but you don’t think he’s overly concerned.

Finally, Sid _is_ royally pissed. He has a look of clear irritation, but also painfully blatant jealousy, as he eyes your form, watching Byron raise and lower your body.

Giles is very openly impressed by Byron’s strength, nodding almost absently with every successful lift. His arms are crossed, but the gentle set of his face and the smile he has says that he’s relaxed. He’s probably somewhat worried about you being dropped, but you reckon that he has trust in Byron too, that he’ll keep you safe and out of harm’s way.

Leo is sat on the floor next to where Alyn is on the bench, legs crossed. He’s grinning away, blood red eyes focused on the both of you. Nico is beaming as well, apparently enjoying this, and his eyes hold obvious love and pride when he looks at Byron.

Suddenly feeling under pressure with eight pairs of eyes on you, you let your head slowly tilt back until it’s limply hanging back, since this won’t affect Byron’s balance. Your eyes drift closed, and you centre your attention on the feeling of his warm hand on your thigh, on the tingles and shudders sparking through you. His touch, on such a sensitive part of your body, and the feeling of his gaze on your form the whole time, is making your heart stutter and beat rapidly in your chest, pounding away at the contact.

After a few more minutes, Byron grunts, then murmurs, “I think twenty is enough for one day. I may substitute some of my other training for this if you are willing to, but I’ve done enough for now. So,”

He lowers you again, but this time, his palm on your thigh throws your legs up slightly, giving his arm time to curl under your knees again. He then slides his other arm under your back, sighing quietly. You are now in his arms like before, and he smiles again, cradling you against his chest. He finishes his sentence, gazing down at you, staring into your eyes. “Thank you for trusting me, and for allowing me to try that.”

You force yourself to not get lost in the beauty of his features, or his voice, or the appreciation and gentleness in his words. “You’re welcome.” A small grin plays on your lips. “Thank you for not dropping me.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. He then tilts you so that your feet touch the ground, and you stand up on your own, fixing your clothes before smiling up at him. He stretches his arms, pulling them over his chest and rotating them a few times, before he holds his hand out to you. You take it, feeling his fingers close around yours tenderly but firmly. He walks over to the benches with you, stopping a bit away from them, before leaning down to kiss your hair.

“I’m going to go and have a shower.” He murmurs into your scalp, lips warm as he breathes softly. You nod, smiling up at him.

“I’m sort of sweaty from helping Albert and Sid, so I may as well just do my training now, and then I can have a shower in a bit. I’ll just stay here for a while.” You respond, seeing him smile back at you, looking proud.

“Of course.” He lets go of your hand now, leaving yours feeling empty, but it fades as he brings his up to cup your cheek. His eyes soften, and his voice is loving as he speaks. “See you later.”

“See you.” You reply, your own tone gentle. His lips twitch up, as if he is going to smile once more, before he drops his hand and walks out of the room, up the stairs.

_That was very intimate. Why would he do that, in front of the whole group? They’re all acting so differently. It’s almost like they’re competing for my attention and in giving me the most affection, but at the same time some of them don’t seem to mind it at all._

Albert stands up now, taking a moment to finish his water, before he clears his throat and starts to walk to the door. On the way, though, he stops next to you, staring down at you for a moment. You beam at him, wondering what he’s doing. He turns slightly, putting his back to the others, before allowing a small smile to grace his lips. He reaches out, giving you a light but still affectionate pat on the head, before he then carries on walking.

You see his cheeks turning pink, and your heart goes into meltdown at the unexpected touch, at the fact that he just did that in front of the others like Byron did.

Trying to calm yourself and failing miserably, you turn back to the others. “Well, I’m going to get this over with. I’m going to attempt the rings today.”

The looks you get tell you that it’s not going to end well.

You think they’re probably right.

**♡♔♡**

 

"Oh shit!”

_Smack._

You moan in pain as you come off the last of the rings, hitting the floor so hard that you fall onto your side and whack your head on the mats. You take a moment to catch your breath and try to relax your aching muscles, groaning at the feeling of your lungs spasming in your chest.

You’ve finished your training now, and all of the others, bar Robert, Louis and Leo, have left. The three of them left separately to have showers, alternating so that someone is in the room with you; it was agreed yesterday that no one should train on their own. With the equipment in the room, and the danger level of some of it, someone should always be supervising when there is training going on.

They’re all here now, though, and you see Louis and Leo wince at the sight of you collide with the ground. You pant, watching Robert come over with some water. He helps you to sit up, his hand gentle on your back, before pressing the bottle neck to your lips. You drink for a moment, sighing quietly as ice spreads through your veins, before you lower the bottle and lie down again. You give yourself another minute or so, steadying your heart rate.

Louis and Leo join you now, the former sitting on your right cross-legged, whilst Leo crouches down on one knee above your head. Leo grins at your dishevelled form, holding his hand up for a high-five. You weakly give him one, feeling him catch your hand when you do, rubbing it gently.

“Dear God,” You mutter, feeling your biceps seizing up. “How can Albert and Byron do that every day? They’re demented, the two of them.”

Leo snorts. “Because they’ve done it every day for years. The first time is always the worst with exercise. Well, it is for a lot of people, anyway.”

You close your eyes, huffing out a breath. “Amen.” There are laughs from them all at that, but you just shake your head, forcing your eyes open again. You release Leo’s hand to put your own on the mat, heaving yourself into a sitting position. Three pairs of hands immediately place themselves on your back and arms, and you roll your eyes playfully, smiling just a little. “I’m fine. You don’t need to do that.”

Robert responds, his voice soft. “Princess, you’ve fallen from the rings and the high bar several times, and that last one looked particularly painful. We need to make sure you’re alright.”

That’s a fair point, but still, you can sit up on your own. “I know. Thank you. But honestly, I’m fine; I’ve had a lot worse over the years, and the falls barely hurt. I’m just sore because I’ve been lazy over the holidays. It’s my fault.”

Leo shuffles closer to you now, putting his other knee on the floor and then moving so that you are in between them. He wraps his arms around your upper chest, in line with your shoulders, before propping his chin up on your shoulder. “You are not at fault. You’re seventeen, it’s your summer holidays, and you’ve just done exams. You have every right to do nothing but be lazy for the next few months. Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay?”

Hm. You’ve been brought up differently to him, and he is speaking the truth, so you decide to let this one slide.

“Okay.” You gently pry his arms off you after squeezing one of his hands, then slowly rise to your feet.

You try not to show your pain as your thighs throb, having been put through forty minutes of intense training on the exercise bike and another half an hour on the treadmill. A few months ago, you would have been able to do this no problem, but lately you’re struggling. You reckon you need to start doing training properly again.

“Sorry, I need to have a shower.” A thought occurs to you. “Wait, I can have a bath, can’t I?”

They are all stood now, having risen with you, and Louis nods. “Of course. I would recommend doing so, since it might help to relax you after training.”

You almost cry out in happiness at the thought, sighing in relief. “Good. I’m going to go and have one, then.”

They all nod again, and you start to walk to the door, swiping your hoodie from the bench on the way. You go up the stairs and out of the room, then down the hallway and into the lobby. The others wave as you go up the stairs again, and you wave back, then hear them chuckling at your sluggish steps. Your legs burn while you ascend the staircase.

Eventually, you reach the top, heading to your room. You go in and lock the door, throwing your hoodie onto your bed. You proceed to go into the en suite, turning the taps on for the bath so that the water will be a bit too hot, since it will eventually cool down. You retrieve a royal blue shirt with grey sleeves and trims at the top, which reaches your mid-thighs. You then get some thick black leggings, socks and underwear, fetching your iPod from your hoodie and taking the first of the books on the shelf.

You return to the bathroom, putting your clothes on the radiator after feeling it to be on. Putting your music on low on the counter, you sit on the marble top, feeling the smooth stone cold against the back of your thighs.

You sit there, starting to read the book, eyes idly drifting to the bath every now and again. The book grips you immediately, a smile curling your lips at the simple but effective writing style. When the bath’s done, you set the book down, then get undressed and turn the taps off. Bracing yourself, you lower your body into the water.

You wince slightly, feeling the intense heat on your skin, but you quickly adjust and lie down. Putting a small amount of bubbles in, you also add in some of your favourite bath oil, one that you remember Byron telling you about; it can apparently “drive the most sane minds to the edge” because of how irresistible it is. You keep using it, since you love the smell yourself, but you initially continued using it to see if it really has the effect everyone says it does.

Let’s just say that when you came into school after using it for the first time, the boys near enough never strayed a few foot from you, and practically bit at any other people who tried to come near you. It was kind of hilarious, although now your body is flooded with tingles at the thought of them being so protective and, dare you say, jealous over you.

A silly grin slips onto your face at the thought, and then you close your eyes, tipping your head back against the ceramic. You inhale slowly and deeply, breathing in the fragrance, feeling the air around you warm. It wafts over your face, caressing your skin, and a soft sigh slips through your lips. For a while, your mind gives itself over to nothingness, filled with flashes of soft lights and colours, bursting and brushing over your mind’s eye. Your body relaxes, tension from training fading away quickly.

You listen to the music, singing to it quietly. Nearly every song that comes on has a memory that emerges when they come on, some good, some bad. It’s nice, though. You focus on the good memories, keeping your thoughts on them. It takes your mind off your messed up emotions, and the worry you’ve been feeling since you arrived here.

You take your time to wash yourself, massaging your scalp when lathering your hair, and you also make sure to use your loofah gloves all over your body, ridding your limbs of any dry skin. After submerging yourself in the warm, soapy water again, you trace your fingers over your arms. They’re smooth and soft to the touch, otherwise unmarked except for the odd scars you have from over the years.

Training with the ICAC and in school, especially with boys hell-bent on beating you to inflate their pride (although they never did), was bound to give you a few permanent scars. Some are small, some big, some obvious and some obscure. You’ve got them all over you, although less so on your lower body. You’ve admittedly got a few on your torso, when the ICAC trainers were a bit too fast for you to dodge them or you didn’t react quick enough on a mission.

None of them were too serious, though.

Well… apart from one.

You pause, eyes lowering to your chest. Your hand comes up, brushing over the circular scar, easy to feel. From your point of view, it’s on the right edge of your heart, so it’s on the left to everyone else. You remember getting this scar all too well. It was by far one of the worst days of your life. It was the day you almost died.

You shake your head.

_This is what they told you to avoid. Don’t think about what happened. It’ll just take you down again. Go to the boys if you need to._

You exhale, rinsing your hair off under the taps before standing up and getting out of the bath. You pull the plug in the bath, then dry yourself off before putting your clothes on. The next twenty minutes are spent organising your room, opening the balcony doors to let some air in, and drying your hair when it isn’t dripping wet. You style it like you usually do, then read another two chapters of your book before putting it back. Seeing the note on the shelf, you remember that you need to call your mum.

You get your phone, finding her speed dial and calling her. You wander over to the chair in front of the balcony doors, feeling a soft breeze coming in from outside. Other than the ringing of the phone, you can hear birds singing outside, and can hear the whispering of the wind as it dances through the trees on the estate. The sun in out and the weather is much calmer today, the sky near enough clear and the air pleasantly humid.

Your mum picks up after a few seconds, greeting brightly, “Hello?”

You find yourself smiling, sitting in the chair and pulling your legs against your chest. “Hi, mum. It’s me.”

You hear her gasp, but it doesn’t sound like she’s angry. “___! I was worried about you! Are you okay? How is it in Stein? Did you like the surprise, or did you give the boys a good telling off for it? I’m guessing you didn’t mind.”

You stifle a grin, shaking your head at her plethora of questions. “I’m completely fine, mum. I love it here. I’m so happy to be here. I just… it’s perfect. It’s everything I could ever wish for. It’s so nice to be in a different country, and to just have some time to wind down from exams.”

You hear her sigh with relief, and you can tell that she’s nodding. “That’s good. I was worried that you might have been annoyed at them not giving you any forewarning, but if you’re happy, then that’s brilliant. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself; you deserve the break, after everything that you did over the year.” You grin now, unable to keep it back at her praise. “How is it, living with nine boys? Are they getting on your nerves yet? They aren’t acting inappropriately or making you uncomfortable, are they? They’re taking care of you?”

You snort, rolling your eyes at the sudden interrogation. “They’re not annoying me at all. They’re actually making sure that they’re taking care of everything, which is nice, even though it’s sort of weird. They’re insisting that I stop making food and stuff all the time, and it’s odd since I always do it at home, but it’s good. I’m relaxed and happy. I… I feel content here. I feel safe.”

You can almost feel her thousand-watt smile. “Oh, honey! I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself and that you’re feeling so happy! I was a bit hesitant about letting you be with them, so far away from me, for so long. I trust them all, of course, since they’ve more than proved themselves to be trustworthy over the years. Still, it was scary to let my baby go to Stein without me, to live with a bunch of stinky boys.”

You rub your forehead, laughing softly. It’s ironic; they all smell amazing. “But if you’re comfortable and sure you want to stay there, I’m happy for you to stay with them.”

You nod now, your orbs rising up to watch a bird as it soars through the sky, a silhouette against the glare of the sun. “I want to stay. I wouldn’t give this up for the world. I love it here.” You chuckle, adding, “But that’s not to say I don’t miss you. I’ll give you a big hug when I come home.”

You hear hear make a sort of squealing noise, her voice rising in pitch with joy as she gushes, “I miss you too, sweetie! I’m holding you to that hug, okay?”

“Yeah.” You breathe out, thoughts drifting to the boys for a moment. Your smile widens, nerves prickling. “I promise.”

“The boys are happy as well, aren’t they? Are they liking it, living together?” She asks. Your mind whirls to the first day, to Albert’s moment of weakness and the boys’ jealousy. The smile fades.

“They’re okay. They just…” You pause, wondering if you should tell her this. You suppose you don’t need to, but it would be nice to get advice from someone else about it. “They’ve got a problem they’ve talked about a few times, something they can’t tell me about. I can’t figure out what it is, but it’s killing me not knowing. Albert was acting strange the other day. He was upset, and I just felt awful, not being able to help him.”

She is quiet for a few moments. But then, when she speaks, her voice is oddly soft, almost secretive and wistful. “Well, just give them time. They’ll tell you when they’re ready.” She pauses, her tone becoming concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay? You sound like there’s something else going on. You’ve got that internal-struggle voice again.”

You curse her for being so observant and knowing you so well. You think about how your feelings have been fluctuating, how you’ve noticed your emotions shifting for all of them. Your teeth sink into your lower lip, a certain sentence, a specific thought, bouncing around in your brain. You want to say it, you want to face it, but you’re too scared and ashamed to. You don’t want to think about it.

_I think I love them in a way I shouldn’t._

“I…” Your words fade away. You swallow, trying to summon them again. “I’m just confused. I know I’m not the most emotionally intelligent person anyway, but I’m a bit messed up at the moment. I don’t understand what I feel anymore. I mean…”

You realise how bad it sounds when you go to say it, that your feelings for _nine_ boys are starting to shift into the romantic spectrum. “I think I care about the boys a lot more than I thought.”

You almost instantly feel fear and panic grip you, your nails digging into your bicep. You wait for her to get angry, or to be disgusted, or to assume something or just react badly.

It doesn’t come.

“Sweetie,” She coos, her voice very gentle and kind. “With everything you’ve done with those boys, and by that I mean every single one of them, that’s expected. You’ve got deep relationships with them all, so of course you’re going to care about them immensely. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up being in love with them. Christ, I don’t think I’d blame you.”

You freeze. Your lips part in shock, breath catching in your throat.

_What the actual fuck?_

She laughs heartily, continuing, “I mean, I know you’ve always said that your relationship with them is platonic, but spending that much time with them, and being so close to them so much, you are extremely tightly bound to them. Even if it’s just non-romantic, you are all so important to each other, and you care for each other so much because of what you’ve been through.

“You’ve had moments of falling with them, of helping them get up with their own problems, and they’ve done the same for you. You’ve got something special with them, something that’s so rare in a world like this, but there’s nothing wrong with it. Don’t stress over this, love. Listen to your heart. I know your mind has the power and you go to it first on instinct, but this is something you need to let your heart decide.”

Your chest tightens. Your throat thickens slightly, and you swallow, clearing it. “Yeah.” Your voice trembles a little, making you wince. “That last part I get, but where did that first bit come from? Romantically? I mean, would that even be possible? How would-”

“___, darling, humans are amazing creatures. Some of us have no capacity for compassion and care, and some of us can love more than one person at once. It happens, although not very often at all, and it isn’t very widely accepted so it doesn’t ever get spoken about. It is possible, and when it’s founded upon love rather than just something like sex, it’s a beautiful thing. It’s strength, to love so many and have that trust. Believe me, I’ve seen it a few times myself over the years, for a number of reasons that aren’t important.”

It could happen. You could be in love with nine people.

Who are you kidding? It’s becoming so much harder to even think about the possibility of this being completely platonic, or of just being friendly. You’re a logical person. You know how emotions work, although you’re a bit inexperienced with your own. You know that this is something a lot more, and there are only a few possibilities of what your feelings mean. Hearing your mum’s words just make them narrower and clearer than ever.

You try to smile, but it crumbles immediately, the weight of your situation pressing down on your resolve again. “I guess so.”

She immediately picks up on your mood. “Sweetheart, talk to me. If you need to vent to me, you can. I’ll always help and support you. You know that.”

You don’t think you can take any more support. You’re getting dangerously close to losing your composure now that you pretty much have to accept your feelings. “I know. I’m fine. I’ll call if I need to talk, and I will every few days anyway. I just needed to get that off my chest. Thank you.”

She sighs, sounding more concerned now. “___, don’t thank me for letting you talk to me. Please, just make sure you’re not doing your whole run-off-and-deal-with-problems-on-your-own thing. This isn’t the ICAC. You can come to me whenever you need to, even if it’s something small. I don’t want you to be on your own with this. Feelings are the biggest killer because there are no lines and no rules, and it can be frustrating. Are you sure you’re okay?”

You nod, ignoring the fact that she can’t see it. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Okay.” She doesn’t sound at all convinced, but she decides to back off anyway. “Well, I’m sure you want to get back to doing whatever you’re doing. Call me when you can, or if you need to talk to me or ask anything, alright?”

“I will. Thanks, mum. Love you.” You try to lift your tone a bit to make you sound less weak, but it doesn’t really work. You drop your face into your free hand.

“I love you too, sweetie. See you soon. Make sure you stay safe, and with the boys. Let them take care of you for once, though. You deserve a break. Bye, honey.”

“See you soon.”

You hang up.

Your breath heaves out of you, ragged and shaky. You sit back in the chair, letting your eyes close for a moment. You run through everything she said, wanting to be certain of your conclusion before you confirm it. The facts, and your feelings, come together in your head. The list could go on forever, but the main points shout out, screaming to your brain for attention.

_I care about the boys more than my own life, something that only applies to my mother and Lucian. No one else matters that much to me. I’d do anything to keep them happy and safe. I’d die for them. When they touch me, I react in ways that I’ve never felt with anyone else._

_I want them to stay with me, to keep caring, to keep trusting in me. I want to help them and be there for them at all times, to be someone they can rely on, to be someone they can turn to. I want them to want me. I want them to be closer than they already are. I want to be able to love them fully, truly. I want them to desire me in the same way, emotionally, mentally, and physically._

This all points to one thing.

_I want to belong to them._

_I want them to belong to me._

_I want to be with them._

_I want them to be with me._

_I’m in love with them._

The realisation hits you hard.

You shake in the chair, heart pounding. You rest your head against your knees, clutching your phone in your hand and wrapping your arms around your legs. Your breathing hitches, body confused and distressed and thoughts in turmoil at the epiphany. You can’t believe this. You’re in love with nine people. You want the people you said you would remain friends with romantically, and your desire is growing every day.

“Oh God...” You whimper, squeezing your eyes shut. They burn with tears, and you rub them into your knees in an attempt to get them to go away. “What the hell….”

_It’s all going to fall apart. They’ll find out or work it out eventually, and they’ll leave. Or, worse, only some of them will. The group will splinter and fracture. Those left behind might not feel the same, and those who leave will be alone._

Even your hunch that a few of them feel the same way doesn’t help to lessen your worries.

You try to distract yourself, squaring your breathing. You drill the thought that you will upset them if you go down like this into your head, forcing your emotions to settle. Maybe ten minutes of square breathing, pacing and rocking in the chair later, you wipe your face of any moisture, since a few tears managed to be bastards and escape from your eyes.

You get your iPod, now holding it, and your phone, and put some slipper boots on before making sure you’re stable again. Taking a few deep breaths and clearing your expression, you leave your room, stepping into the hallway.

It’s empty, something you’re almost glad about while you make sure you’re ready to go downstairs. You hope you’ll be able to ignore your emotions while you’re around them, since it would kill you to know that you’re acting weirdly and making them uncomfortable or worry about you.

You nod to yourself, putting your earphones in and turning on some soothing music. You make your way to the stairs, then pad down them, your footsteps almost inaudible.

Going into the living room, you see the boys all sat around the TV, watching Nico and Alyn play Portal. They’re practically screaming at each other, unable to work together in any way, shape or form, and a weak smile graces your lips. Taking in the sight of them all, looking at their faces and watching them watch the screen, your heart flutters and sings. You ignore it.

A few of the boys notice you arrive, and you are instantly given smiles or grins or smirks, but they’re all friendly. They’re all caring. They’re your boys.

Byron turns his head from his seat on the long couch, holding his hand out to you over the back of it. “Are you alright, Princess?”

The question nearly makes your already cracked composure crumble, but you force it back together as you nod, making your way over. Your smaller hand slips into his, warm and tender but still so strong, and you smile a bit again at the feeling.

He does the same, then twists around more all of a sudden, his other hand placing itself on your side at the top. Your pupils expand, and then a short yelp escapes you when he uses his grip to tug you forward, over the back of the couch.

You can’t stop yourself from falling over with his power, rather just gasping in surprise when he pulls you over completely. He releases your hand to stop your legs from hitting Albert on the way over, sat next to him. You land lightly on Byron’s knee, his arm now around your back, preventing you from falling harshly.

This all happens in the space of a few seconds, and laughter erupts around the room at your shocked face.

“Wha-” You go to ask what that was all about, but are distracted when you feel your leg touch Albert’s thigh. You jerk it up, knowing he usually doesn’t appreciate human contact even at the best of times. “Sorry- huh?”

You start to apologise, but your exclamation of confusion cuts you off when he catches your leg, then moves the other down. He presses his free hand to your knee, flattening the limbs across his own thighs. His cheeks are slightly red while he does this, but he almost looks like he’s smiling to himself when he gives you a quick look of amusement.

Byron shifts under you, gently moving you to be cradled against his chest. Still confused, you can only watch as he curls an arm around your back, your head falling against his shoulder. Your nerve endings rattle, shivers and prickles running across your skin, at the feeling of his warm palm on your side, the other placed on your thigh. You try to think of anything else, to distract yourself and keep yourself calm, even as your heart starts to jump and skip beats in your chest.

He lowers his lips to the top of your head, kissing the crown of it softly. “What shall we do today?”

Your thoughts spiral to your conversation with your mum at his touch, emotions stripped of all the stability you have managed to build.

_I love him._

_I love them._

_How am I going to do this now? It feels so different. I can’t just ignore all this. Oh god…_

You force yourself to snap out of it, cuddling into him so that you can bury your face in his throat. He chuckles quietly, removing his hand from your leg to take your own, fingers slipping through yours with breath-taking gentleness. You swallow, responding in what you hope is a normal voice. “I don’t mind. You guys decide; I always end up choosing what we do.”

He hums in his throat lowly, the sound eliciting a sharp shiver that rolls up your whole spine. He looks up, glancing around the room. “Is there anything in particular that anyone wishes to do?”

Alyn answers, mumbling, “I might do some riding. The weather looks good, and there haven’t been any indications of a storm coming.”

Byron nods slightly. “That’s a good idea. I imagine the horses will enjoy some attention.” He glances down at you, pressing his cheek against your hair. “Would you like to do that, or something else?”

You manage to smile, although it’s small and not very strong. “Yeah, I’ll do riding.”

He nods again, more firmly this time. “I will come out as well, since it has been a few days since I’ve ridden Cerin.” You pull back a bit, blinking. A small grin graces his lips, sending your heart skipping again. “Cerin is my horse. He’s the black one, with the long mane.” You nod, recalling seeing the horse on the first day.

“I will ride as well. I have yet to take Maverick out and let him run around, as well as Cookie and the others.” Albert adds from the side, placing his hands on your shins. Your calves tense up slightly, but you cover it by moving them slightly, as if you’re shifting to get more comfortable. You resist the urge to move closer to him, since he is already pushing himself a bit by touching your legs.

Nico bobs his head up and down, not looking away from the TV. “I’ll come out too. Just let me finish this mission and then I’ll get up.”

Robert chuckles, standing up. “I don’t think I’ll be doing any riding, but I’ll come out. I think I might do some drawing or painting.”

Your interest is peaked at that, and you glance at Robert. You haven’t watched him paint or draw in so long. “Would I be able to watch you at some point, while we’re here? I haven’t seen you paint in ages.”

He chuckles, nodding with a gentle grin. “Of course you can. You could paint with me if you’d like.”

Your insides flutter, twisting in an oddly pleasant way. You nod, finding it easier to smile now. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Byron squeezes you gently now, asking quietly, “You will need a jacket or a coat, and your riding boots. Would you like to go and get them on now? Everyone riding will need to be in something appropriate for it.”

Your smile relaxes, but your heart aches at the thought of getting up and moving out of his touch. “Okay.” You burrow into him, letting your eyelids drift closed, face in his neck again. Your fingers tighten around his, and you breathe in his strong, masculine scent, murmuring, “Just give me a minute. You’re really warm.”

He lets out a laugh at that, shaking his head. Regardless, he cradles you against him even closer, the hand on your side moving as his arm curls around your waist more. His fingers lightly run over the side of your stomach, making your breath hitch slightly. He will be quite affectionate with you, but he’s never really touched the likes of your stomach, rather keeping to your hands and sides, as well as your thighs.

But that last one… that’s only been more recently. He never used to touch your thighs, but now he seems more comfortable and confident in himself.

Come to think of it, all of them have been a lot more touchy-feely than usual since you’ve been here. Typically, they will only touch you if they are close enough or have a reason to, but here, they’re doing it seemingly whenever possible. You wonder why again, and the wonder sends your thoughts reeling back to your suspicions about them, as well as your own feelings.

Back to the present, Byron lowers his lips to the side of your head, where your ear is. Resting his mouth against the back of your ear, he smiles slightly, his breath tickling the skin and hair there.

But then there is movement across the room, from the left side. You break out of your internal struggles, opening your eyes and shifting your head a bit to allow you to see around Byron’s neck. He pulls his lips back to glance over, and you catch a glimpse of movement before someone stands in front of you and Byron.

Just as you turn to see who it is, someone hooks an arm around your waist and jerks you towards them, ripping you out of Byron’s arms and onto your feet. You squeak, almost falling into whoever it is, but they pull your body against them to steady you. They then take your hand and tug you towards the door to the entrance, and it is now that you smell metal and forests.

You glance up as Alyn drags you through the door, hearing Byron groan behind you, “What is it with all of you taking her away when I hug her?”

Your head whips around, seeing Leo, Sid and Nico, along with Giles and Robert, looking very much amused. Louis and Albert don’t seem overly impressed, though. You frown. “What the fuck-”

Alyn is at the stairs now, and he pulls you with him as he goes up, the others out of sight. You catch up to him, hearing him grumble, “Don’t ask. Seriously, don’t even try.”

You are caught between being concerned and interested, wondering if this is something to do with the secret but at the same time entertained by the disgruntled tone of voice he uses. “Is it something I can’t know?”

He is quiet for a few moments, walking to your room. When he gets there, he pulls you inside, closing the door behind you both. He stands there for a moment, his eyes unreadable, breathing controlled but at the same time heavy. He avoids looking at you, jaw clenched, but his hand remains in yours.

_What’s wrong? Is it something to do with Byron cuddling me?_

The thought from before comes back. You ignore it again.

“Alyn?” You murmur gently, squeezing his hand lightly. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” He looks at you now, fiery eyes scorching. You feel like he’s staring right through you with the intensity of his gaze, your heart stuttering in response. “Alyn? Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

You don’t expect his next movement.

He takes a step towards you, still gripping your hand in his. Your chests almost touch, but he moves in again, and you are forced to move back as he keeps going. He does it again, staring down at you while your confusion mounts. You go to say his name again, thinking that something’s set him off on one of his furies and that he needs to calm down.

Your words fall apart, though, when your back touches the door behind you. You realise with an almost calm bewilderment that he’s backed you against it. He’s stopping you from getting away from him.

“Alyn…”

Your voice is a whisper, confused and small and almost scared, but also painfully concerned. You want to know what’s making him be like this. You want to help. You want to take away whatever pain is hurting him. You can’t even think about the possibility that he’s going to do something.

He heaves out a breath, and then it’s like his walls crumble around him.

His body pitches forward, towards you, and you tense. You expect him to collapse, but he doesn’t. He uses his right forearm to brace himself against the door, next to your head. He drops the top of his head against the wood, still holding your hand ever so tightly, like he’s afraid you’ll slip away from him. You stare up at him, watching him close his eyes. He exhales slowly, as if he’s trying to steady his breathing.

“Alyn, please tell me what’s wrong. Did I do something wrong? Did Byron? What’s going on?” You fire questions at him, desperate to understand and to help him.

An expression of disbelief passes over his face, eyebrows furrowing, before he lets out an exasperated sigh. “Goddamnit, Princess. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re too nice.”

Before you can respond, he removes his hand from the door, releasing your hand. He then coils his arms around your middle, lifting you against him in what feels like a desperate hug, a cry for surety and safety. You immediately move, clinging to his neck and stroking his hair as soothingly as you can. His hands grip your sides, his face burying itself into the hollow of your throat, eyelashes fluttering against the skin there. You shrug off the shivers that run through you at the touch, gently rubbing the side of your face against his, murmuring,

“Then tell me what’s happening, Alyn. I can’t help if I don’t know. Tell me what you can. Even if it’s just what you feel, rather than what’s causing the problem, talk to me. I’m always here to listen.” He takes in a shaky breath. When he speaks, his voice is almost weak. It’s unsure and unconfident and frustrated, but also painfully upset.

“My head’s so fucked up. I… shit, I can’t say anything, but the plan we’ve got worked out just…” His tone has started to become more aggressive, and you hush him quietly, tightening your arms around his neck and continuing to stroke his hair. He exhales again, taking a few seconds to calm himself. “It’s insane, and it’s completely messed up. I mean, it’s the best option we have, but what it means… I… it makes no sense at all.”

You nod, silently encouraging him to keep going. He swallows, then carries on, now talking in a quieter voice. It’s like the flames of his anger have dwindled down, leaving a soft ember behind, whisked away by the calm of the wind. “And yet I wouldn’t choose anything else. I couldn’t. I want this to work.”

Whatever they’ve decided on, it’s out of the ordinary. It’s a risk, which is concerning to you. Still, you keep your body language neutral, instead kissing his forehead with a feather-light touch. He tenses, going still around you, but he doesn’t let you go. You smile a bit, massaging the back of his head through his silky locks.

“Alyn, if I’ve learned anything over the years being around you all, it’s that once you all want something, nothing can stop you. If you want something to happen, it will end up happening. I believe in all of you, and have faith that you will work it out. We've gotten this far together. You can do it. I know you can. Just trust yourself and the others, and have confidence in what you’re trying to do.”

You pull back a bit now, still encased in his firm grip, to hold his face in your hands. His cheeks, already flushed, now grow extremely hot under your touch. His eyes skitter away from yours, avoiding your gentle gaze.

“Alyn,” You breathe out softly. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. It hurts now and it must be hard, but you’ll get through this. I promise. The others and I will do everything we can to make sure that you get what you’re trying to achieve. I can’t help much, but I can do things like this.”

Leaning forward and tilting your head up, your lips press against his forehead carefully, almost cautiously. Fingers still cradling his face and thumbs rubbing over his cheeks, you sigh against his flushed skin, uttering in a tender whisper, “I can listen if you need to talk. I can be here when you break down and need someone to go to. I will happily hug you and stroke your hair, I’ll help you to get to sleep, I’ll do whatever I can to help you and make you happier and stronger.”

Your mouth curls up at the edges, your eyes sliding closed, breathing in his scent. “Even if you’re too damn stubborn to admit that you like hugs and having your hair stroked.”

A shaky breath rattles out of him, but it almost sounds like a laugh. He tightens his arms around your middle, clutching you to him like the last strand of his existence. You make soothing sounds against his forehead, one hand brushing upward to smooth his hair back, slowly moving your fingers to run through it. Upon reaching the spot on the back of his head, you smile a little, pressing your fingertips into it ever so slightly.

His breath catches in his throat, escaping in a sort of choked gasp. He shudders against you, moving his head from under your lips to drop it against your shoulder. “What are you doing- ah, fuck… I’m gonna drop you, sto-” He groans, fingers digging into your sides. He manages to turn himself around, stumbling backward, before he leans against the door heavily.

You don’t think he’s ever reacted this strongly to your touch. You wonder if it’s because he’s standing up, since on other occasions you think he’s always been sat or lying down.

Feeling bad, thinking you’ve made him uncomfortable, you retract your fingers and start to pull back. “Sorry.”

Just as your fingertips leave his skin, one of his hands releases your waist, flying up to grasp your wrist. You freeze, wondering if you really screwed up and how badly if you did.

But then he moves your hand back against his head, placing it against the spot again. When your fingers rest against it, he shudders slightly. He carefully slides down the door to sit against it, kneeling you down in front of him. His eyes remain on the floor to his right, somewhat embarrassed. “D… Do that again. I know it’s weird as fuck, but it helps me to calm down and relax. God, I hate you for finding this out.”

He mutters the last bit in a disgruntled tone, huffing at the end. You smile softly, laughing out, “Of course, grumpy guts.”

He sends you a glare at the nickname, but you just ignore it, scooting forward to be sat a bit closer to him. Your fingers, still on the spot, start to rub the skin gently, moving in repetitive circles against the muscle. He sighs quietly, letting his head tip back and rest against against the door. Your gaze softens at the sight of his face clearing itself of anger, the traces of his frustration leaving swiftly. His body loses its tension, muscles relaxing. His eyes close, his head leaning into your touch while still against the door.

You keep doing this for a few minutes, content to just watch him and make sure he's comfortable. He opens his eyes at this point, sighing out, “We need to get ready for riding. Stop it, so I can get up.”

You grin, teasingly pressing your fingertips against the spot harder. He gasps, squeezing his eyes shut, before his hand flies up to grasp your wrist. You ignore this, continuing to massage the spot. His eyes open, dark and dangerous and giving off a warning glint. “Princess,” He growls, voice low. Your nerves prickle once more, shivers skittering over your skin. “Don’t make me stop you.”

_Challenge accepted._

You smirk. Your nails run across his skin.

His gaze turns playfully malicious as he trembles, speaking in a husky, throaty voice. “I warned you, Princess.”

**♡♔♡** **  
**


	10. Part X | Tickle War Number Two, Apologies, Riding and Innuendos.

**♡♔♡**

**_Previously:_ **

_You grin, teasingly pressing your fingertips against the spot harder. He gasps, squeezing his eyes shut, before his hand flies up to grasp your wrist. You ignore this, continuing to massage the spot. His eyes open, dark and dangerous and giving off a warning glint. “Princess,” He growls, voice low. Your nerves prickle once more, shivers skittering over your skin. “Don’t make me stop you.”_

_Challenge accepted._

_You smirk. Your nails run across his skin._

_His gaze turns playfully malicious as he trembles, speaking in a husky, throaty voice. “I warned you, Princess.”_

**♡♔♡**

He lunges forward, throwing himself at you. His hands grab your waist, pushing you back and onto the floor. You scream, but it’s a good, excited scream. You fall back onto the floor while he rolls forward, your knees coming up to stop him from getting you in a position where you can be held down. Your shins press against his chest, but you keep one hand on his head, trying to use the spot to get some leverage over him. The other pushes at his chest, keeping him upright.

But then he starts to squeeze and tickle the skin on your sides, and a giggle erupts from you, your muscles seizing up at the unexpected, close touch. You give up your attempt to keep rubbing his head, your hands flying down to his wrists. You push at him and pull one of his hands away, but he just flashes you a wicked grin, his eyes gaining a bright, competitive twinkle.

He uses his arm to force one of your hands onto the floor, then blocks the other one with his arm and shoulder, moving his hands up your sides. You screech, feeling his fingers run over your ribs and stomach for a few seconds. A victorious laugh bursts out of him, sending your heart racing even faster.

There’s a look in his eyes as he watches you, something very soft and loving and gentle, so full of joy and so relaxed. It takes your breath away, although you don’t have much left anyway. It’s such an innocent look, so young and vibrant, it’s beautiful to behold.

Your attention is drawn away, though, when you hear someone speak outside of your room. “___? May I come in?”

Alyn freezes, hovering above you, at the sound of Albert’s voice. You fail to respond, not sure what to do.

The door opens, and Albert peeks his head in, quickly spying the two of you. You feel your body flooding with amusement, embarrassment, slight panic and a bit of healthy fear as he stares at you both. Still breathing hard from the tickling, you meet Albert’s gaze, seeing his cheeks turning pink.

Alyn jumps away, having snapped out of it. He sits back on his heels, coughing and muttering with a quickly reddening face, “I was tickling her. We were just playing.”

He stands now, avoiding both yours and Albert’s gazes, before he stalks out of the room. Albert opens the door to let him leave, although he remains there himself, stood in the doorframe. You sit up, having been lying back up until this point, feeling your own skin heating up. “Sorry. I sort of started it. Is something wrong?”

He clears his throat, shaking his head. He then walks over, offering you his hand as he replies, “No. You were just taking a while to come back downstairs, and we heard some...” His cheeks darken in colour, eyes darting away from yours. “Odd sounds. So, Byron asked that I come and make sure that you were alright.”

You take his hand while he speaks, his somewhat cool fingers closing around yours. His touch is ginger and delicate, like he’s being cautious with you. You let him pull you to your feet, feeling his fingers loosen their grip, although they feel warmer now. You give them a very gentle squeeze, smiling up at him and responding, “I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry. I was just play-fighting with him.”

He nods, swallowing. “Worry not. It’s fine.” He glances down at your slipper boot-clad feet, and for a fraction of a second, it looks like he starts to smile. He raises an eyebrow, though, and meets your gaze. You notice that he hasn’t pulled his hand away yet. “You are still going to ride, aren’t you?” You nod. “You will need your boots, then.”

His hand slips away now, as he moves to your bed. He pulls the string at the end, lifting the mattress up and revealing the concealed storage inside, where your shoes and some other bits and bobs are. He peers inside for maybe three seconds, then reaches down and pulls out your riding boots. They're black and have a buckle at the top, but are completely flat on the soles.

He closes the bed again, then turns to you. “Well? Come here.”

Confused, all you can do is walk over to him. He watches as you do, then pats the cover, nodding at it. You sit down slowly, wondering why he wants you to, and reach out to take your boots from him. He just makes a “Tch” sound, ignoring this.

He then kneels down in front of you, and your insides practically explode.

“Albert? What are you doing?” You ask, staring down at him as he sets one of the boots on the floor. He smiles ever so slightly, and your heart flutters, seeing his face relax beautifully.

“What does it look like?” He asks back, keeping his eyes on his hands. He unzips the boot, moving a bit closer to your legs, before very gingerly sliding your slipper boots off and setting them aside. “I’m putting your boots on for you.”

You blink, still confused. A light blush spreads across your cheeks. “You don’t need to, Albert. I can do it myself-”

He gives you a look that cuts your words short, and your mind blanks, one of his hands now reaching out to curl around your calf. Warmth coils in your stomach, your muscles tensing under his touch. Your thoughts whirl into a very manic, very strange collection of emotions and memories. Back to the present, Albert speaks, lifting your lower leg up to him. “Consider this my apology for the other day, for my… moment of weakness.”

Your mind sobers up at this, kicking into support mode. “Albert, you don’t need to apologise for that. Don’t; you’re human. You need to have moments, to break down like that. I know it’s not the nicest thing, but you need it every now and then. It does the world of good. Don’t you dare say sorry.”

He has been watching you as you say this, but now he clears his throat, his head tilting down. He starts to slide your boot onto your foot. His hair covers some of his face, but you can see him blushing through the strands. “You can hardly tell me not to apologise for it, considering that we tried to stop you from paying at the restaurant and you insisted on it, and then said that you might do it again.”

You find yourself smiling a bit at that. “But you all never let me pay. And this is different; this is more important. Your health, be it emotional, physical or mental, matters a lot more.”

He pulls your boot onto your foot, one hand on the outer side of your leg, the other zipping it up. He raises an eyebrow, retorting somewhat bluntly, “That’s incorrect. You have paid for us on multiple occasions, for several different things, and you have also done so when one of us has already offered to pay.”

His expression becomes neutral now, his fingers absently tugging the boot as if to make sure it’s on properly. A breath slips through his lips softly, his thumb tracing over the buckle slowly. “Regardless, thank you for your concern. I assure you, though, that I am completely fine now. I have dealt with the thing that made me react that way.”

You don’t think he’s lying, from his body language and words. You nod again, your lips curling up at the edges, and he starts to put the other boot on. “Good. You don’t need to thank me, but you’re welcome.”

A small shiver ripples up your back when his fingers lightly touch the back of your knee, feeling him bringing the boot around your leg. You force yourself to think and speak around the sensation. “You know that you can talk to me when you need to. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t break down around me. I would never think any differently of you for it, even though you should know that by now.”

He zips up the boot, his hands dropping into his lap. He remains silent for a few long seconds. You notice his long eyelashes as he stares at your boots, seeing shadows from them being cast down on his pale skin. He nods slowly, his voice now gentler, uttering, “I know that.”

His blush comes back gradually in the seconds after he says this, but his eyes gain a sort of determined glint to them, his tone firmer when he speaks again. “I don’t like people seeing my vulnerabilities. Byron’s father- he… I suppose you could say he taught me to disregard emotion for Byron and Nico’s sakes, in all circumstances. It’s odd for me, the thought of showing all my emotions. I’m not used to it.”

He exhales slowly now, shifting forward to be closer to you. Your feet rest atop his thighs, his hands now slowly rising up to place themselves on the back of your legs again. Your heartbeat picks up, seeing him blushing more intensely than before. He lets out a breath, then leans forward to, very slowly and cautiously, hug your legs to his chest. You feel the heat from him contrasting to how cold his hands were before, and the sensation of him being so close and touching you so much makes it almost hard to breath.

And then he closes his eyes, swallows thickly, and lowers his face to your thighs.

You go completely still, forgetting to breath entirely, as he uses that same slowness and caution to rest his head against your legs. He is very gentle and ginger when his face touches your leggings. However, upon feeling no resistance from you, he seems to relax a bit, putting his head down properly and letting the full weight from it drop onto you.

He’s quite warm now, you notice, and your own cheeks are flushed from the contact. You’re not at all opposed to it, though; if anything, you’re elated. Your insides are skipping, rejoicing at the fact that _Albert_ , the one of the group who is the least used to bodily contact and shows of affection, has his head on your thighs. That’s big for him, and it shows that he must trust you immensely to do it.

A beaming smile graces your lips, lighting up your whole face. Feeling him exhale deeply and become less tense against you, your hands come up, ever so lightly running through his short, soft hair. He jumps a bit, obviously not expecting you to touch his head, but he relaxes again after a few moments. You stroke his hair in soothing, repetitive motions, just savouring being close, knowing that he trusts you and that he is comfortable enough to be like this.

It means the world to you. It’s things like this that leave you smiling for hours on end, things that you will think back to on days when you’re upset or lonely.

Your thoughts return to your earlier revelation, and your heart aches for a brief second. You ignore it once more.

You both spend a long while sat like that, oblivious to everyone and everything going on around you. He remains there, his head on your thighs, arms hugging your legs to his chest. The whole time, your fingers sift through his chocolate locks, stroking tenderly, affectionately. You listen to his calm breathing, feeling the movement of his chest against your legs with each breath, your eyes closed and expression content. It’s not often that you get to sit just with him, especially in a quiet place like this, and certainly never this close. You want to etch the memory of this into your mind a thousand times so you’ll never forget it.

Eventually, though, the perfect peace comes to an end. Albert inhales deeply, seeming to have become almost sleepy while he has rested on you. He starts to lift his head, to which you remove your hands, letting him sit back and open his eyes.

You see that his glasses have been knocked a bit and smile, reaching out to straighten them and push them back into place. You grin at his bewildered expression, dropping your hands into your lap when you’re done. He clears his throat and nudges the glasses to get them into the right place, then nods, looking very awkward and unsure of what to do.

Still, he stands up, and you get up as well. You stretch your arms, still grinning slightly, and raise an eyebrow. “Shall we go? If the others are waiting, they’re probably getting a bit impatient.”

He nods, avoiding your gaze. “Yes, we should. We will get our coats on the way out – it’s somewhat cold outside.”

Your head bobs up and down at this. “Okay. Let’s go, then.” He says nothing, starting to walk to the door. You walk next to him, watching as he opens the door (he having shut it upon entering) and motions for you to go through. Your grin widens, a peal of laughter escaping you. “Thanks, Al.”

He coughs, shutting the door, before quickly making his way to the door to the staircase. “You’re welcome.” He mutters, opening said door. You laugh properly now, bouncing through the door and watching him shut it behind you both.

“Thank you again.” You chirp out. He rolls his eyes.

“And you are still welcome. You need not say it twice.” You nod, letting out a last chuckle.

You both go downstairs, where you see Giles stood there, now in his burgundy parka. He has a book in his hand, and his arms are crossed habitually, his expression relaxed. He smiles upon seeing you both coming down the stairs, watching you hop down. When you reach him, he asks amusedly, “Did you forget how to put your boots on, Princess?”

You roll your eyes playfully, shaking your head. “No. Alyn needed to talk to me, and-”

You are interrupted by Albert, as he repositions his glasses, eyes focused on Giles. “I also wished to speak with her. It was not entirely her fault.”

Giles’ smile doesn’t move an inch, but his eyes twinkle and seem to almost shine with an emotion you don’t recognise. His eyebrow rises up, but he nods nonetheless. “Of course. I was just joking; we are in no hurry, so I wouldn’t mind her taking her time anyway.” He looks to you now, gaze softening. “I am waiting to make sure that you put something sensible on to ride in. We do not need a repeat of your equestrian exam last winter.”

You groan. When you were doing your final riding exam last winter, you forgot to bring your coat with you to the stables for various reasons, meaning that you ended up riding for three hours straight when it was two degrees Celsius outside; the weather that year was extreme in every respect, and it wasn't pleasant.

You got an A* for it, but afterward, you were aching and shivering so badly from the cold that the boys had to practically wrap you in their coats to thaw you out. You then ended up getting a cold that developed into a chest infection, making two weeks straight of your life completely miserable.

“Hey, that wasn’t just my fault. Sid and Leo were distracting me, and one of the kids in year nine was badgering me about something. I genuinely forgot.” You defend yourself, pouting just a bit to see if he’ll give up.

He just smiles even more, his teeth showing slightly and glinting in the light. “And you could forget again. I would not want that to happen, so I am staying with you.”

He steps forward, so that he is right in front of you, before he moves one of his hands to tilt your chin up. His thumb smoothes over the skin under your mouth, and then places itself on your bottom lip. Your breathing hitches, muscles freezing, as he runs the tip across it, then presses it back slightly. “Now, are you going to put this pout away, or am I?”

Although your body screams to let him do it, your brain swiftly beats the thoughts away. You stop pouting, a small frown still on your face, and a soft laugh slips through his mouth at the sight. He glances at Albert, his hand still cupping your chin. “If you would like to get started, I will bring her out in a moment. I would like to have a word with her myself.”

Albert nods, his expression unreadable. However, you can see his eyes flickering between the two of you, seeming to be calculating something. Without saying anything, he turns around and heads to the coat closet. He retrieves one of his coats, moderately thick and black, and in the style of a trench coat. He then makes his way to the back door, leaving silently.

Giles hums now, inching a little bit closer to you. Your chests are almost touching, and his face is inches away from yours, since he’s holding your head to be angled up and has lowered his own down. You swallow, trying to ignore your heart fluttering in your chest, when his smile softens and he speaks. “Are you alright, Princess? Alyn didn’t do anything earlier, did he? He seemed a bit flustered when he came down.”

Your mind flashes to his weakness under your touch, to him tickling you and hovering over you. Dismissing the memories, you shake your head. “I’m fine. He didn’t do anything; we were just play fighting after I talked to him, and then Albert came in in the middle of it, so he’s probably just embarrassed over that. You know what he’s like.”

He nods in return, bringing his other hand up to brush a strand of hair out of your eyes, tucking his book under his arm. The backs of his fingers ghost down your cheek, circling over the skin soothingly. “Indeed. That makes more sense now.” He watches as you close your eyes, leaning into his hand with a smile of your own. His amber hues gain a loving look, his gaze very gentle and tender, completely focused on your content and relaxed expression. “And was Alyn alright? And Albert? Was something wrong with them?”

You shiver slightly at the tingling caused by his touch, feeling trembles shaking your muscles from his delicate hold. You answer, eyelids fluttering open.

“Yeah. Alyn was a bit torn over the plan that you’ve made, although he still wants to go through with it. I think Albert just wanted a moment alone.” You know you can trust Giles not to tease Albert about this, and a beaming smile graces your lips as you say almost proudly, “He put his head in my lap. I don’t think he’s ever done that before.”

He chuckles softly at your enthusiasm and happiness, nodding and replying, “That’s good. I’m glad he trusts you and feels like he can be close to you. It puts my mind at ease to know that he can get the contact he has been deprived of over the years.”

He thinks just like you do. Your insides flutter, heart skipping again. Your head bounces up and down in a nod, and he lets out a breathy laugh again. “Well, let’s not keep Ida waiting, shall we? You need a coat.”

He drops his hands now, instead taking your left one and winding his fingers through yours. He takes you over to the coat closet, where he sifts through the coats you have, picking out a black thermal one after a few moments.

He ignores your attempts to take it yourself, instead lithely jumping behind you to put it on you. A groan rumbles out of your throat, eyebrows raised, when he then dances around you to be stood in front of you. You are halfway zipping it up when he pulls your hands away, finishing the job himself and doing the buttons up. He then fixes the thick collar around your neck, making sure it’s sitting properly, before he nods to himself with a satisfied smile. You shake your head, but you’re smiling as well, once again baffled by their insistence on doing everything for you.

“Perfect,” He comments, his hues rolling over your form. He grins softly, adding in a teasingly impish voice, “As beautiful and adorable as ever.”

Warmth coils in your stomach, and your heartbeat stutters at the compliment. Your cheeks gain a pink tint, your hand coming up to press against one of them while you murmur, “Giles…” He looks smug now, eyeing your quickly growing blush with pride. You shake your head again. “Thank you.”

He just holds his hand out, now holding his book in his other one. You take it, feeling his long fingers curling through your own. “You’re very welcome, Princess.”

You both walk through the living room and go outside, the cold air hitting your face abruptly. You are glad you’re in your thermal, since you hazard a guess that it’s only roundabouts ten degrees Celsius, even though it’s summer. Stein’s weather has been known to be rather temperamental at times, and it’s showing quite clearly now.

The others are scattered around the field. Nico, Albert, Byron and Alyn are already on the horses, riding around slowly. Robert, Louis and Leo are sat on outdoor lounge chairs. Robert is holding a sketchpad and a pencil, dressed in a green coat with two sets of buttons that fasten on his right side. Leo is on his phone, wearing a sort of dark gold coat and Louis is in his washed-out blue one. Louis is watching the ones riding. Sid is leaning over the fence of the riding area, his thick indigo coat with fake fur fluttering around him.

Byron has a black coat on, with a series of silver fastens across the chest, and Nico has a red hoodie on. Alyn has his black thermal coat on, similar to yours. You watch Byron and Albert ride after Nico, shouting to him playfully, with a soft smile gracing your lips.

Dragging your gaze from them, you glance up at Giles, squeezing his fingers lightly. “Are you sure you don't want to ride with us?”

He nods, his expression relaxed. He stares off at the forest around the house, looking thoughtful. He turns to look at you after a few moments, grinning. “I'm sure. If you're in desperate need of help in a race or require some…” His eyes gain a mischievous twinkle. “ _Mostly_ unbiased refereeing, I will do what I can. I'd much rather relax for today and enjoy the scenery. That's not to say that I won't be riding any time soon, though.”

Your head drifts up and down at this. “As long as you're sure.” Seeing him nod again, still grinning, you smile to yourself and breathe out, “Well, time to see if Ida’s in a good mood and if she remembers me.”

He chuckles at that. He walks with you when you go over to the stables, the doors already open. Ida is wandering around in the space in front of them, grazing lazily, but her head lifts when you approach. Your smile widening, you go through the gate to her, Giles right next to you. She watches you come over, then stretches her neck out, sniffing your hand when you lift it up to her.

A few seconds pass. Then, she suddenly whinnies, butting her nose into your palm. Ignoring the pang of fear that briefly shoots through you at her sudden movement, you release a breathy laugh, rubbing her nose gently.

“Hello, Ida. Good girl, there she is. Remember me?” You give Giles a smile, squeezing his hand lightly, before you let it go. You step around to Ida’s side, noticing that she already has her riding equipment on her. You give it a quick check over before patting her face, then stepping around to her side again.

You place your foot in the stirrup, about to heave yourself up, but stop and yelp when you feel Giles place his hands on your waist and push you up. “Giles! You exclaim, swinging your leg over Ida’s back quickly. He lets go, eyes sparkling. “I can get up myself!”

He just laughs lightly, nodding. “I know. You just have such an adorable expression when you’re surprised and annoyed like this.”

You huff at that, giving him a sidewards glare. Your mouth is curling up at the edges, though, and you quickly get yourself settled and ready with the equipment so he can’t see it. Gently tapping your foot against Ida’s side, she starts to trot out forward, towards the gate to the open field. Giles opens it for her before stepping back, and you pointedly look away from him when he does, hearing his loud laughter in response.

“Okay, Ida. We’re not doing any of your scare-the-shit-out-of-___ nonsense today, so let’s just take it easy- for fuck’s sake!”

Halfway through your calm pep talk, Ida lurches forward and starts to gallop around the field again, causing you to shout out a cuss and grip her reins tighter. You can hear at least five of the boys laughing at this, which makes your eyebrow twitch. You should put them on Ida and see if they laugh then.

“Ida! Oi! Stop your- goddamnit!” She starts to throw her head around, whinnying all the way, before she heads straight for one of the few hurdles used for jump training. It’s not too high, and you’ve done jumps with horses a lot, so you’re not particularly scared about doing it. You’re just not used to her yet and aren’t aware of how she does jumps.

“Oh dear.” You sigh out, shifting yourself in preparation.

When she reaches the hurdle, she throws herself over it smoothly, and you move accordingly with her to ensure that you don’t get in the way of her jump. You feel a fleeting sensation of fear that she could fall, or that she could throw you off at any minute, and also that she could hurt herself doing the jump.

It fades, though, when she touches the ground again and slows down. She then trots away from the hurdle like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

You let out an aggravated breath, but you’re smiling, admittedly impressed by how she handled the jump. Patting her her neck, you shake your head, murmuring, “You’re definitely like me, Ida. Reckless, but you know what you’re doing. Most of the time, anyway.”

You look up now, seeing Byron riding toward you, on the horse that you guess is Cerin; the black one. Nico and Albert are approaching slowly, talking about something in their usual manner, and you can see that Albert’s on Maverick. Alyn paused while you were jumping, but now he nods almost to himself, returning to doing laps around the field on the chocolate horse.

“Are your alright?” Byron asks when he comes within earshot, stopping just in front of you. Ida and Cerin start to sniff each other for a moment. You nod, and he raises an eyebrow, glancing down at Ida. There’s a hint of amusement in his gaze, though. “She certainly does become lively with you. She’s never chosen to use the hurdles herself before.”

“She hasn’t?” He shakes his head. You stare at Ida’s head, making a face. “I reckon she just wants me to fall off. Does she normally do that, the whole running around really fast thing when she first gets onto the field?”

“Sometimes. She’s never done it with me two rides in a row, I’ll admit. I think she’s certainly testing your limits.” Byron’s response makes you grunt, shifting on Ida’s saddle.

“___!” You hear Nico call, and you look behind Byron to see him riding over now, grinning brightly. “Want to have a race?”

You’re not quite sure that would be wise, considering how random Ida acts sometimes. “Uh… I’m not sure. I feel like I don’t know Ida well enough to race with her.”

Nico waves a hand, the gesture elegantly dismissive. You blink. “Don’t worry, she likes you. When Al first tried to ride her, she threw him off and kicked her football at him until he left the field.”

A giggle erupts from you at the mental image of Al being ragdolled by Ida, and Albert growls from where he is letting Maverick trot around a little way away. “And I should remind you of your pathetic attempt to ride Maverick when we first got him, and how it ended up with you almost getting trod on by him.”

Now your giggles turn into fully-fledged laughs, seeing Nico make a face. “Al,” He groans out. “I thought you said you wouldn’t bring that up again!”

“Tragic.” Albert retorts simply, riding away to let Maverick run around again. You’re taken aback by the speed the horse has, and wonder how he moves so fast.

“So, want to have a race then, ___?” Nico draws your attention back to him. You weigh up your odds, trying to work out if Ida’s in a particularly volatile mood or not.

Deciding to just go for it for the sake of making Nico happy, you nod. “Okay. But I’m probably going to end up on my arse at some point, since I think this one wants to throw me off.”

You say the last bit lightly, patting her neck soothingly. She whinnies again, and you see Byron smile. “We’ll be watching and ready to help if she does anything. She’s only ever thrown Albert and myself off, but that was upon us first riding her, so you should be alright.”

You smile back, the caring tint to his voice warming your entire body. “Thank you.”

It takes a few minutes for Nico to explain where you’re racing to and get the horses in place, but then you’re ready and about to start, Byron acting as the one to start the race. “Ready?” You and Nico nod. “Three, two, one, go.”

Both of your horses lurch forward at the same time when you spur them on, and you see that Ida has slightly more speed than the other horse, who you learn is cookie; she’s the one with light fur. You keep your body low and angled to decrease your air resistance, seeing Nico doing the same. The horse’s breaths heave out of them heavily, quickly, but you know it’s good exercise for them and that this isn’t straining them. The sound of their hooves on the floor is rhythmic and steady, almost like drums, out of time but somehow in sync.

In mere seconds, you’re nearing the end of the race, where Albert is waiting on Maverick. You move your head down a little, tapping your feet against Ida’s sides, and she gains a little bit more speed. You see Nico watch this with wide eyes, trying to match you again.

But he’s not fast enough, and you cross the end with a fraction of a second lead. Albert nods as you both slow down, announcing, “___ won by half a second.”

You let out a hoot, fist-pumping the air, while Ida slows and steadies her breathing. Albert got two apples prior to the start of the race for when it finished, and now he throws one over to you. You catch it with a beaming smile, leaning forward to feed it to Ida. A giggle slips through your lips at the way she takes the apple, before you sit back and rub her neck, turning to Albert. “Thank you.”

He just nods. You can see a slight dusting of pink in his cheeks. “Of course.”

A few races between the boys and some hurdle jumps later, you need to relax a bit and sit down, since your legs are sort of hurting from the saddle. Nico assures you that Ida can be let off on her own, since him, Albert and Byron are there to watch her, and you dismount her before walking over to the gate.

Sid is still leaning over the fence and has been watching everything go on, but now he grins, eyeing your flushed face.

“You look like you’ve been through a hurricane.” He snickers out. You gape at him, half offended but knowing that he’s just teasing, before you smooth your hair down and straighten up your clothes. When this is done, you push yourself up to be sitting on the wooden fence separating the field from the stables; it’s wooden and thick, and you can see that it will support your weight.

“Rude.” You huff out, getting comfy on the fence. He gives you a smirk, not seeming in any way, shape or form remorseful. You roll your eyes playfully. “You try riding around on a horse that’s about as predictable as you, and doing hurdle jumps, then say that to me again, Rapunzel.”

He narrows his eyes at that, scowling a little. He drops a hand on your head and deliberately messes up your hair, muttering, “Call me that again and I’ll make you regret coming to Stein.”

Trying and failing to drag his hand away, seeing as he’s now restraining your strong one, you can only growl and throw back, “I didn’t choose to come here, actually, so I can’t regret a decision I didn’t make.”

Smirking now, you lean back and manage to get out from under his hand, lying down precariously on the wood. You use your legs to grip it, letting go of Sid’s hands but keeping your own raised to defend yourself if necessary. Your smirk widens as you sing out, “Sid, Sid, let down your extensions!”

Now he lunges towards you, looking very pissed off. Throwing yourself off the fence with a short scream, you bolt away from him. You dart into the stables and use the support beams to buy yourself some time, weaving through them. He is catching up quickly, so you whip around and make a beeline for Giles, hoping that he’ll protect you from the raven-haired male.

He has been sitting back in his lounger and reading, but is watching you chase each other around with an amused smile. Seeing you running over, he laughs softly and puts his book down, apparently knowing he should be prepared to have you throw yourself at him. You place a hand on the side of his lounger, launching yourself over his body onto his other side, then hide behind him while you cling onto his right arm. “Protect me.”

He chuckles, raising his hand to rub your own soothingly, where it rests around his bicep. “Before I can, I need to know why he’s trying to murder you.”

Sid has stopped in front of you both, looming over you both. He snarls when he responds, still looking quite annoyed. “She called me Rapunzel and then said the whole ‘let down your extensions’ crap.”

Giles turns to raise an eyebrow at you, apparently expecting an explanation. You tell him the truth. “He said I looked like I’d been through a hurricane and messed my hair up.”

The Christophe looks between your both for a moment, then shakes his head with a heavy sigh. “You’re both just as bad as each other.” He smirks all of a sudden, eyeing you with an almost evil look. “However, having long hair myself, I think I’ll side with Sid on this one.”

You blanch. “Giles?”

Without warning, he throws you up from his lounger, tipping you towards Sid. Unable to move because of Giles’ legs, you fall with a quiet yelp. Sid catches you, letting you use his body to stop yourself from face planting the floor, before he winds his arms around your middle and drags you up. The second your feet are on the ground, he picks you up. He puts an arm against the back of your thighs, your stomach touching his shoulder. You put your hands on him for balance, watching as he turns and starts to walk towards the stables.

“Sid? What are you- shit!”

Before you can even ask what he’s doing, he flips you around in a movement you don’t understand at all, and you end up with your legs flipped up to be over his right shoulder. Your body dangles down, now the wrong way up, while he holds you there with his arms locked around your stomach. You start to shriek in panic, flailing your arms about and trying to find something to hold onto.

“Sid! Put me down! You arsehole, put me down right now, I swear to God! I will make sure you never go near another pub for the rest of your life and hide all your hairbrushes!” You yell at him, trying to use his legs to keep yourself still. You can feel his smirk as he walks over to the horses’ water troughs, then shifts you up to be dangling right over them. “Motherfucker, don’t make me hurt you! I will punch you so hard in the balls that your ancestors will feel it!”

He just howls with laughter, all but screaming out through his guffaws, “And if you do, you’re getting dropped, so you’re screwing yourself either way!” He stares down at you, watching you try to move your body away from the water. “Now, either you say sorry and tell me my hair’s better than yours, or you ain’t leaving these stables dry.”

_Oh my God. Don’t take it the wrong way, don’t think of innuendos, that wasn’t sexual at all-_

You burst into embarrassed laughter, unable to hold back your admittedly inappropriate thoughts. You hear Leo quickly descend into hysterics, giggling uncontrollably. Apparently, he caught the innuendo. Looking over at the others briefly, you see that Robert is still looking down at his sketchpad, drawing something, but he has a very obviously growing smile on his lips. Louis’ cheeks are slightly red, his eyes avoiding you and Sid. Giles is watching you both with a satisfied, but very impish, smirk.

Sid lets out another bout of laughter, watching your cover your face with your hands. “What the hell are you thinking about, Princess? Don’t tell me you’re thinking something nau-”

“Oh my God, shut up!” You scream, not letting him finish. You’re almost ready to surrender, purely because of that comment. “You’re the one saying weird things!”

“But you’re the one with the perverted thoughts.” He snorts, eyes practically glowing with pride at your embarrassment. You curl your fingers into a fist, landing a hard punch on his thigh. He groans, momentarily loosening his grip on you. You shout in alarm, feeling yourself being dropped, but he quickly catches you again. “What did I tell you? If you hit me, I’m gonna drop you.”

“Fine!” You all but scream, desperate to be upright and not dangling over a trough of water. “I’m sorry! Your hair’s better than mine! Now put me down!”

He laughs darkly once more, but he steps back from the water and returns to the loungers. The others watch him carry you over, seeing you glaring at him intensely.

And then he lowers you down just enough for your head to touch the floor, before he lets go of you and jumps away.

Your body follows your head, hitting the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of you. You roll onto your front, trying to get some oxygen back into your lungs, before you cough and moan out, “Sid.”

His already wide smirk stretches, his teeth peeking through his lips. “Yep?”

Seeing you weakly motion for him to lean down to you, he does so cautiously, expecting you to hit him on the head or something. When you don’t, rather saying something he can’t understand since your face is pressed into the ground, he crouches down on one knee to get closer. He watches you suspiciously, seeing you slowly sit up, then stretch a leg out toward him before bending it slightly. His eyebrows furrow.

It’s now that your head snaps to the side, eyes blazing. “Fuck you.”

Doing good on your statement from before, although not quite the same, you kick him in the crotch.

He immediately doubles over, gasping and swearing loudly, before he collapses to the ground.

Before you think you’re being unnecessarily cruel and violent towards him, he often fights you and messes with you, and you often have bruises from when he does his little ‘scares’ on you. Put it this way; he has, on several occasions, actually punched you in your boobs, and you haven’t had a chance to get him back yet. So, this is very much normal for the both of you, and it’s very much warranted.

“That,” You grumble out, hearing the others gasping or seeing them wince at the pain Sid’s in. “Was for when you punched me in the boob the other week. I haven’t gotten you back yet. Now we’re even.”

He groans something out, but you can’t make it out and just shake your head. Shoving yourself to your feet, you see Robert hold his hand out to you, motioning his head in an indication for you to sit next to him. You go over, feeling your heart squeeze at the soft smile he gives you. “Would you like to watch me draw? I won’t let Sid do anything to you, worry not.”

You glance back at Giles at that, sat in the next lounger, and give him a heated glare. “I’d love to. At least I know you won’t throw me to Rapunzel over there.”

Sid gives you the finger, still in the foetal position and recovering from the kick. Giles just grins coolly, picking up his book again.

So, you sit down next to Robert, seeing that he’s sketched the field with the forest and mountains in the background, with outlines of you, Alyn, Byron, Albert and Nico on the horses. You know it’s only a ‘starting point’, as Robert puts it, but it still amazes you. You can’t draw like him no matter what, and anything that comes close takes you a lot longer.

“Oh wow…” You breathe out, taking in all the little things he’s started to add in throughout the drawing. “It’s amazing, Robert. You’re so talented.”

He grins now, and the sight sends your emotions soaring. The sun shining down on him and highlighting all of the colours around him takes your breath away. He takes your hand, his pencil still in his, before he lifts it to his mouth and presses a tender kiss to your knuckles. The touch gives you shivers all over your body. “Thank you, ___.”

He releases your hand, returning to drawing, the strokes of his pencil against the paper somehow calming to you. It’s fascinating to watch, seeing him create textures and colours almost with ease, with techniques you know would take you years to master and understand, and yet they come to him naturally.

While you watch him gradually build up the scene before you, and from his memory, you rest your head on his shoulder, being careful not to lean against his arm too much. He chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to the top of your head, before he continues to draw. It feels odd to watch as he moves to you and Ida in the picture, and he starts to draw your body properly. It’s not so much that he’s drawing you, but rather that he must be looking closely at your form in his mind in order to be able to draw you accurately.

You can’t stifle your smile, nor the warmth flooding your veins. You let your heart stutter and have a moment, feeling too content to ignore it completely.

You watch him for a long time, barely speaking, but the silence is comfortable. It's normal. It tells you that everything is okay around you, even when your mind is falling apart.

 

**♡♔♡**

In what seems like a blink of an eye, it’s four o’clock and Byron decides to start preparing dinner. When you ask what it is and if you can help, he just smiles, a secretive twinkle in his eyes. Alyn pats you on the head before following the Wagner inside, joined by Albert as well.

“I’m not going to be doing much while I’m here, am I?” You ask, putting your hands on your hips and watching the three go inside. Nico bounces out of the stables, having just led the horses back in, and grins at you.

“Nope! We’re getting back at you for always making us food and never letting us help in your house!” He responds, bounding over before wrapping his arms around you. He shifts to be behind you, dropping his chin onto your shoulder. The other watch as you roll your eyes, grumbling playfully,

“Hey, I did let you help when I was changing the lightbulb fittings through the house, and with the electrics. I let you turn the power on and off.” Sid claps sarcastically at that, shouting,

“And on that day, we were blessed with the permission to assist ___ by flicking a switch all but eight times!” He gives you a look. “You changed the whole electrics system by yourself, and installed new lights in the loft. I think that warranted accepting help.”

You raise an eyebrow. “But I didn’t need it. My father taught me how to do all those things on the premise that I would be doing them if he died, and my mother was never big on DIY, so I was prepared to do it all myself. It’s not exactly a relaxing thing to do, so why drag you all into it?”

Sid lets out a breath. “Because we were more than willing to help. We wanted to take some of the pressure off you, and were happy to deal with it as a group.”

Hm. You get it, but your point still stands. “Well, you’re getting me back now, so it’s even.”

“So, what are we doing?” Louis’ voice breaks the conversation, and you glance at him. He meets your gaze. “It appears that we’re done with riding for today.”

You nod slowly, then shrug, being careful not to knock Nico. “I don’t know. Is there anything you want to do?”

He casts his eyes to the ground for a moment. A soft breeze drifts around you all, ruffling your hair and caressing your skin. The sun shines down, turning. Louis’ blond hair golden, Sid’s a midnight indigo, Giles’ a deep wine, Robert’s an ashy brown, Leo’s a heavenly white, and Nico’s a pure rose. It’s breathtaking.

“I suppose I would like to dance with you again. It’s been so long since I’ve had the chance to.” Louis murmurs this almost to himself, still looking down.

Your heart twists. You want to dance with him, too. You miss it. You miss being so close to him, becoming lost in the music and having him watch you with that adoring gaze. You miss him praising you when you’re right and correcting you when you’re wrong, miss him spinning you around and making you feel like a bird in flight.

Nico speaks before you have the chance, suddenly gushing out excitedly, “I’ve just realised, we haven’t shown you the main room downstairs, have we?”

You turn your head slightly to meet his eyes, asking, “There’s another room?”

He beams now, removing his arms from around you to take your right hand, then hopping forward and taking Louis’ left. Before the latter can ask what Nico’s doing, said Meier starts to all but drag you both back into the house, through the back door. You struggle to keep up with him as he pulls you both into the living room, although he gives you a moment to take your shoes off and put them on the door mat.

Once this is done, he goes off again, pulling you both into the main entrance where the stairs are. On either side of the stairs, you notice, is a small gap leading to the space under them. He takes you both through the left one, into the slightly darkened space, leading you to what you see is an ornate, beautifully decorated set of golden doors. You wonder how you’ve missed the gaps up until now.

“Here we are!” He all but sings, releasing your hands. He goes over to the doors, takes both of the handles, then pushes them open in an extravagant sweep.

Inside, the room is identical to that of a ballroom, with completely spotless laminated flooring and intricate designs all over the walls and ceiling. Said ceiling is high, like the rest of the house. There are speakers around the room, you see, and large mirrors dotted around the place. The lights, inside two large chandeliers, come on when Nico steps into the room, illuminating all of the colours and patterns. It’s gorgeous.

Nico steps back, grinning and giggling at yours and Louis’ shocked expressions. “This house is one of the oldest in Stein, so it’s got all the typical components of a medieval manor. That’s why it’s so big, got so many rooms, looks like a castle and has high ceilings. It’s also,” He spins around on the spot before doing a lithe little dance deeper into the room. “Why it has a ballroom, and why it’s got all these patterns and little decorations everywhere.”

He laughs at your parted mouth, seeing that you’re apparently lost for words. “Come on in! Have a look around!”

Glancing at Louis, you take a tentative step inside. It’s like stepping back into the seventeenth century. You can almost see the ball gowns and hear the music flowing through the room, can feel the elegance and wondrous extravagance of history all around you.

“It’s…” You can barely find the words to express your wonder, taking in every single detail around you. “Oh my God… It’s so beautiful.” You turn to Nico, eyes wide. “How much is his house worth, if it has all of these traditional features? It must cost so much to keep.”

He bursts into loud laughter at that, the sound echoing around the room. “It would cost a lot if we were paying a mortgage on it, but fortunately, our father wasn’t actually stupid with money and paid it all off when it was passed down to him from his father. It’s always been in the Wagner lineage, so Byron had right to it anyway. There were a lot of legal technicalities with the house, since after he was driven out and we stayed behind, he changed his Will to not include any of us. But, he had no other next of kin, and considering the circumstances with everything that happened, they let us stay.”

He sighs happily, spinning around again. “So, we had a lot of money from all of the profits we get from the companies father set up, and while we weren’t relying on them to support us, we did… invest in some things to future-proof our ability to stay here. We altered the house to be as eco-friendly and cost-efficient as possible, like with the solar panels and cells that we have on the roof. You haven’t seen them yet, but they’re there, and we made sure to change all of our appliances to energy-efficient ones to boost that side of it. We gave it a few homey touches, made it our own, and voila!”

Louis has stepped up beside you now, and his fingers slide through yours, his cerulean eyes still moving around the room in amazement.

Nico looks smug. “We almost got rid of this, actually. We were considering making something else out of it, maybe the training room we have now, but then we realised that we should keep it for school, since we were doing dance there. We reckoned that it would be better to preserve some of the traditional elements of the house, so this we barely touched at all, apart from little bits and bobs.”

It’s good to hear Nico talk about things like this, to know that he’s alright with remembering everything that happened and can handle it. He smiles softly now, expression relaxing. “I’m glad we did. I come in here sometimes to think, and to just wind down and appreciate the history of the house.”

It’s at this point that you hear voices and footsteps, and glance behind you. You see Leo, Giles, Robert and Sid walk into the room, observing Giles and Leo’s surprised faces at the large room. You’re guessing they haven’t seen it before either.

Nico bounces over to them, starting to tell them about the room, albeit in less detail than before. Sid saunters over, Robert walking with him, although he looks completely focused on the art engraved into the ceiling.

“Impressed, Princess?” Sid asks, smirking. You nod, which makes him laugh. “Thought you would be. It’s nice, huh?”

“It’s beautiful.” You don’t hesitate in your response, feeling Louis’ fingers tighten around yours. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Even the one in Wysteria, in school, isn’t anything close to this.”

“You got that right.” Sid agrees, still watching you study the room. His eyes shift to Louis, who stares back at him, granted in a much more hostile manner. Sid grins. “Hey, Princess. Want to-”

“Don’t you even dare.” Louis snaps, cutting Sid off. He can see what he’s trying to do, and he’s not letting it happen. He turns to you, ignoring Sid’s ever-growing grin and your confused expression.

In a movement he’s practiced so many times, that he’s learned and come to understand and make a part of him, he bows low at the waist, lifting your hand up to his lips. Heart fluttering at the sight of your lips parting, breath catching quietly, he presses the gentlest, lightest of kisses to your knuckles. A shiver trembles up your spine, your heartbeat picking up, at the feeling of his smooth lips resting against the top of your hand.

“May I have this dance, Princess?” His voice purrs out of his throat, low and deeper than normal. Seeing his eyes lift to meet yours, you can barely gather your thoughts enough from their scrambled state to respond.

“Of course. Thank you…” He smiles just a little, the movement tickling the skin of your hand.

Without giving any warning, he tightens his grip on your hand, then places his hand on your waist and tugs you against him.

You are quickly struck with the thought that neither of you are wearing shoes, but that disappears when you feel Louis’ hand slide to the small of your back, pressing your torso against his. Your skin heats up at the contact, but your free hand naturally slides up to rest atop his shoulder, head tilting up until your chin is perpendicular to the floor. Louis smiles tenderly, noticing the movement. You manage to speak, telling him in case he’s forgotten,

“We haven’t got shoes on.” You manage to laugh out the sentence to hide your slightly hitched breathing, but he only nods.

“I know. If I heard correctly, Nico said he’s gone to get us some from our rooms.” You blink. When did that happen? Wasn’t Nico just-

Not in the ballroom anymore. Huh. You must have been too entranced in Louis’ gentle touches to notice him leaving.

“Which dance would you like to do, Princess?” He asks quietly, resting his forehead against yours. Heartbeat still pounding away, so hard you think he can probably feel it against his chest, you stare up at him. The rest of the room blurs away, feeling him start to turn slowly, guiding you into a simple circle, just you and him in your own little moment.

“I… I don’t mind. Anything. You choose.” Your words are very soft, almost impossible to hear, but he makes them out. A small grin graces his lips for a moment, as he closes his eyes, continuing to turn in a soothing, steady rotation.

“So indecisive…” He utters, but you know he's not insulting you, rather just stating the obvious. You can't hold back your smile, letting your own eyes drift closed, feeling his warm breath against your cheek when he whispers, “Then we shall dance without the rules, without all of the codes and expectations. Let’s dance as we are.”

Your insides flutter. You nod once more.

“___, Louis! I have shoes for you both!” Nico’s voice breaks you out of your bubble, and you turn to where he spoke from quickly.

You observe Sid, Leo, Giles and Robert stood at the edge of the room near the door, watching you and Louis closely. Realising that they’ve been staring the whole time, your cheeks erupt in a blush, and you instinctively turn your face to the side to hide it, clearing your throat.

You step back from Louis as Nico approaches, holding your flat suede boots and Louis’ pair of plain ones. Louis releases you, and you avoid looking anyone in the eye while you take your boots from Nico, thanking him. You then sit on the floor and slide the boots on, since they have no zips on them, but you aren’t risking trying to put them on standing and falling over.

When you’re done, you stand up again, absently fixing your clothes and making sure they’re not dirty from sitting on the floor. Louis finishes putting his boots on and straightens up, then holds his hand out to you. You take it, still a bit flushed from the eyes of the others watching you both, but your nerves settle when Louis pulls you close again. You both move into the same position again. You wonder if he’ll lead the dance, or wait for you to start it.

“Louis, Princess!” You both look over to Nico when he calls you, seeing him sat in the upper right corner of the room, where what looks like a speaker system is tucked away. He is scrolling through his phone, looking amused by something. “What music would you like, or do you not want any? I can get anything you want.”

You look back to Louis, tilting your head. “Is there anything you want?”

He thinks for a moment, considering this. He finally shakes his head. “Not really. Is there something you’d like?”

You shake your head as well. You have no preference. Looking back to Nico, you tell him, “We don’t mind. Anything that can be danced to. Just not something really fast.”

He nods back, grinning mischievously. You groan, hearing him hum out, “Okay. Katy Perry it is.”

Louis makes a face. “For dancing? I think something instrumental would be more suitable.”

Nico doesn’t look up from his phone, answering with a giggle, “You said anything!”

That’s met with a sigh and a mild glare that Nico doesn’t even catch. Shaking your head, you drop your head against Louis’ shoulder for a moment, breathing in his flowery scent. You hear him exhale softly before he presses his lips to your hair, still in position to dance.

“Okay…” Nico says slowly, tapping his phone before putting it down. “How about an instrumental version of Clarity instead, you know, by Zedd? It’s the Evan Duffy one.”

You remember that one. It’ll be fine to dance to, since it’s an easy song to lose oneself in and the instrumental version suits dancing better. You nod, seeing Louis do the same.

You hear the first notes of the song, a little introduction, sound around the room. It’s not too loud, but loud enough to hear it easily. You lift your head, Louis doing the same, before you look up at him. “So, make it up as we go?”

He nods, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Yes.”

**♡♔♡**


	11. Part XI | A Dance, A fight. Tears, Dreams.

**♡♔♡**

**_Previously:_ **

_“Okay…” Nico says slowly, tapping his phone before putting it down. “How about an instrumental version of Clarity instead, you know, by Zedd? It’s the Evan Duffy one.”_

_You remember that one. It’ll be fine to dance to, since it’s an easy song to lose oneself in and the instrumental version suits dancing better. You nod, seeing Louis do the same._

_You hear the first notes of the song, a little introduction, sound around the room. It’s not too loud, but loud enough to hear it easily. You lift your head, Louis doing the same, before you look up at him. “So, make it up as we go?”_

_He nods, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Yes.”_

**♡♔♡**

The main melody starts up, and Louis sweeps you into a quick, smooth rotation. The gentle changes in the pitch of the notes and the consistent backing pattern create a simple but beautiful, almost echoing cacophony of music, and the world around Louis’ face blurs out. All you can focus on is him, on his hues staring into your own.

There it is. He has that look of love again, and of happiness and contentment. You can see him relaxing, no longer constrained to the rules and restrictions of the more traditional dances. This is _your_ dancing. This is a dancing style of yours and Louis’, one that is subdued but wild at the same time, impulsive but cautious, and absolutely breath-taking.

Your feet move with his in perfect synchronisation, the result of years of dancing together in school and college, steps quiet but strong and sure. He holds you close to him, never looking away from your face, your hand firmly in his. Sparks and jitters of electricity rattle your spine at the intensity of his gaze, but you don’t look away. You can’t. You’re lost in your own world of music and Louis and how loved you feel in his arms.

You did miss this. You don’t want it to stop.

The chorus comes around, and although the instrumental version is much quieter and gentler than the original, there is power enough in the dance to make up for it. Louis briefly releases your waist to spin you away from him, the ballroom becoming a swirl of glittering gold and white around you. There’s a beauty in the way everything spins, so blurred yet still stunning. You feel like you’re flying, the world opening itself up to you, ready to let you explore, but you’re anchored to reality through Louis’ hand holding your own.

Even as he tugs you back to him in another twirl, you don’t mind, knowing that you’re circling back to arms that will hold you close and care about you, that will make you feel safe and strong and loved.

_I’m so happy, and yet when I think about what I realised earlier, about the boys…_

Your heart starts to ache at this, and you’re glad that your eyes are closed for a moment, they having shut upon being cradled back in Louis’ hold. You’re glad he doesn’t see the pain that pulses within them for the briefest of seconds. You’re glad he doesn’t know how much this is hurting you.

_I love them. Look what it’s doing to me. How much can my heart take of this? This isn’t fair…_

You try your best to rid your mind of these thoughts, instead letting yourself be lost in the music once more. Louis twirls you and spins you countless times, letting you fly, and you do the same for him. You give each other freedom, give each other the experience of floating through a world of sound and dance. It’s the closest you can get to complete bliss.

But soon, too soon, it ends. No song is eternal.

You come to a slow stop, and then Louis uses his position to turn you to be facing his side. He lowers your back down, and although you initially find yourself worried about being dropped, the feeling evaporates in seconds. You let him lower you down, hand still held in his, until your body is straight, one of your legs bent to support you and the other positioned to be in line with Louis’.

Your breathing hitches, pupils expanding just a little. A shot of adrenaline rushes through you, making your muscles tremble. He lowers his face to be inches away from yours, lips nearly touching, so close that you can feel the warmth from his slightly quickened breathing.

He leans forward, his mouth barely millimetres from yours. Your breathing stops.

You don’t see it, but the others start to move. Sid lurches forward, toward you both, while Nico snaps upright from his place against the wall. Leo takes a step forward, and Giles’ mouth opens, eyes wide with alarm. Robert stays in place, but his eyebrows are furrowed, breath caught in his throat.

“L-Louis…” Your whisper of his name, full of confusion and anticipation, reaches Louis’ ears like the sweet murmur of an angel. He almost seems to shudder around you, a tremor running through his muscles, something that is very much noticed by you. His eyes, having been lidded but focused on your face, now open properly, his head turning slightly at the sound of rapid footsteps approaching from behind him.

He has little time.

He doesn't waste any.

Leaning forward just a bit more, his arm tightens around your middle. His lips press against your forehead.

“Hey!” Sid snaps sharply. He comes up behind Louis like living death, fury practically radiating from him like smoke. He reaches out when in range of the blond, fisting a hand in the back of his coat and yanking him back. Caught off guard by the sudden force on him, but not wanting you to be dragged into whatever’s about to go down between him and Sid, Louis’ arm and hand slip away from you, releasing you.

You fall back onto the floor, catching yourself on your hands. You watch, eyes wide, as Sid hauls Louis up straight before turning him around, looming over his smaller form with his eyes blazing. “What the hell are you doing? Did you forget, pretty boy? You’re in this agreement. You’re a part of this.”

Louis says nothing, instead simply glaring back with a stare so intense it should be painful. Sid growls, dragging him to be closer, practically snarling at him, “I suggest you give me a goddamn answer before I lose my patience, you little sh-”

“Sid,” Giles’ voice barks out from across the room. He storms over, arms uncrossed and looking royally angered. “Calm yourself, and leave the room. Don’t do something we’re all going to regret.”

“I'm not going to, but you think I’d regret beating the shit out of him?” Sid retorts, eyes never leaving Louis’. “Never. He’s the one you should be-”

Giles cuts him off before he can finish, stepping in between them and gripping Sid’s wrist, the only thing allowing him to keep hold of Louis. Giles’ eyes glint dangerously, completely centred on Sid’s. “I am going to deal with him appropriately. This will not solve anything.”

You are still on the floor, having been too focused on the quickly rising threat levels in the room, but now you hear Nico come up behind you, and Leo quickly makes his way over. Nico puts a hand on your shoulder before taking hold of your arm, pulling you to your feet.

You only realise now that you’re shaking slightly, something you’ve never experienced on jobs with the ICAC, only ever when the boys have fought. It’s a different, deeper panic, seeing this. With the ICAC, there are only a few possible endings to a job, and you’ve come to accept and embrace them. With this, you can’t. Your emotions go off the rails when things like this happen, and you can’t control them at all. Your body responds so differently, so much more wildly, without you being able to stop it.

“Sid.” Giles murmurs lowly, forcefully. “Enough. We will deal with this outside. Let’s go, right now.” He turns to Louis, gaze just as unforgiving and hard. “Through the front door. We’re settling this.”

He practically rips Sid’s hand from Louis’ clothes, although you reckon Sid lets him, since he is pretty damn strong and has an iron grip when he wants to. Louis scowls even deeper than before, then shoves past Sid to stalk out of the room, his footsteps seeming to boom through it.

Giles goes to place a hand on Sid’s arm, presumably to guide him out. The latter slaps the limb away before thundering after Louis, still very clearly enraged. Giles follows after, glancing back at Nico and Leo before looking to Robert.

“All of you are to stay inside. This is a matter for Sid and Louis to deal with. I won’t allow them to hurt each other, but I don’t want anyone else interfering. Stay here.” He pauses for a brief second, opening his mouth as if to say something else. He stops himself, though, and shakes his head. Within seconds, he’s gone, shutting the doors behind him.

Almost immediately, Leo and Nico start to murmur to you soothingly, and Robert jogs over swiftly. Your eyes stay on the doors, thoughts whirling.

_He was going to kiss me, or something very close. The others responded to it. They aren’t happy about him doing it, and Sid is furious. Do they not approve of it, or something like that? Is their agreement possibly over… what, kissing me?_

Either way, it’s definitely something to do with you. Sid just showed you that clearly.

_“You’re in this agreement.”_

_The response was provoked directly from the stimulus, that being Louis’ action of leaning in close to me and seeming to be planning to kiss me. Even if he wasn’t, there was a chance that he would, and they reacted immediately to it. The agreement is almost certainly something revolving around their relationship with me. So, does that mean I’m right? Does it mean that at least one of them feels something romantic for me?_

Your lungs burn. You aren’t breathing.

“___, Princess? Come on, sweetie. Look at me, you need to breathe.” Leo’s desperate but forcibly calm voice breaks you from your emotional turmoil, and it’s only now that you realise that you’ve been holding your breath for about a minute straight, but you weren’t breathing properly prior to that anyway. Your vision sways slightly, your balance tipping to the side.

Instantly, three pairs of hands catch you, holding you up and steadying you.

“___, look at me. Please, Princess, I promise it’s going to be okay.” Nico’s gentle but urgent murmurs bring your mind back to the present fully, and your eyes whip around you.

The ballroom is empty. Robert is stood on your right, holding your right hand and arm, looking extremely concerned. Leo is in front of you to your left, doing the same on that side, and Nico is behind you, his hands holding your waist.

“I’m sorry.” It’s the first thing that you can think of. “I didn’t… I’m so…”

You can barely speak five words before Leo stops you short, letting out a ragged breath. He practically drags you away from Nico and Robert, wrapping an arm around your waist and upper back, hand pressing your face into his shoulder. “God, ___, you scared the shit out of me. Breathe, sweetie. It’s okay. They’re going to be fine.”

You do as he says, taking in deep breaths. Your eyes start to fill with tears, and you squeeze them shut, gripping his shirt. “What was Louis… why did Sid, I mean, I don’t… he said the agreement… is it about me? I…” Your words start to become jumbled, your thoughts moving too fast for your mouth to keep up. Your throat thickens, and your voice cracks, a broken sob. You speak the only thing that makes sense now. “I’m so confused…”

Leo holds you tighter as you lose your last bit of composure. Your cries are muffled by the echo of the large room, but they still seem painfully loud in the silence. Leo hushes you gently, rubbing your back. “I know, sweetie. I’m sorry. I know nothing makes sense. I wish I could tell you what’s going on, but I…” You can’t see it, but he looks to Nico and Robert, seeing them share an uneasy glance with each other. Leo swallows thickly. “We can’t, sweetie. I would if I could, without a doubt, but-”

“You can’t. I know.” You interrupt him weakly, frustration and sorrow dominating your tone. You’re starting to feel more anger now, at the complexity of the situation, at the agonising helplessness you feel, at the fact that they want you to just brush these things off like they’re nothing. Sid almost started to _hurt_ Louis. That’s not something you can just ignore or forget, or even try to downplay to yourself.

You won’t ignore what’s going on. It hurts too much.

Feeling trapped by the invisible walls between you and the boys, you feel like you need to get away for a few minutes at least. You need to be on your own, to think through things, to try and work this out. They won’t tell you, so being with them, although comforting, won’t make you actually feel better. You have to go.

Or at least that’s what your brain tells you, what logic tells you.

But this is a game of hearts. The mind matters little.

_Let’s just pray they’ll let me leave…_

You place your hands on Leo’s chest and push back, using your hair as a shield to hide the tears streaming down your cheeks. He lets you move back a bit, but his hands remain on your middle, keeping you in his hold. “I need a minute to think, Leo. I’m fine. I just want to be alone for a few minutes.”

His pupils widen, alarm sparking in his eyes. Nico’s face shows concern as Leo replies slowly, almost cautiously. “Princess, don’t try dealing with this alone. We’re here. We can help-”

“You can’t, Leo!” You can’t hold it in. Your voice cracks again, the words bursting through your lips. “You can’t help because you can’t tell me what’s going on, or how _I_ can help! I’m useless to you all with this! Why do you think I’m crying?”

You shove back from him now, your defensive instincts kicking in to get you away from the stressors causing your emotional pain. He looks almost hurt, but he tries to get you back into his arms again. “Just let me go, Leo! I only need a minute to get a hold of myself!”

“Princess, calm down. You shouldn't just deal with this on your own; you’ve said yourself that you prefer to be with one of us when you’re upset.” Nico reminds you gently from behind, hands coming up to place themselves on your upper arms.

You quickly realise that he’s trying to restrain you, that they probably think you’re going hysterical. You let out a little cry, twisting in his grip and to the side. The movement is so sharp that his hands slip away from you, and Leo is apparently not prepared for the sudden shift in your position. His grip on your middle becomes weaker.

_I need to get away. I want time to think. I’m breaking down again, just like when father died._

Using your chance, your pull his arms off you and whip around, bolting to the double doors. “Shit!” You hear Leo curse, hearing him start to run after you immediately.

“___, wait!” Nico shouts, starting to run as well. You only push yourself harder, forcing one door open and swinging it shut behind you. You sprint out into the entrance, not looking where you’re going.

So, you don’t see Albert and Byron when they step out of the hallway that leads to the kitchen. They notice your distress almost instantly, and Byron lurches forward to catch you in his arms, feeling you jump with fright and start to struggle. He tightens his grip on your arms, observing your tear-streaked face and obvious upset. “Princess, what-”

You don’t give him a chance to ask and break away from him before he can hold you too tightly, then spin around and bolt up the stairs. You hear him calling after you, and hear the others emerge from the ballroom, shouting across the entrance to stop you and calm you down. You don’t let this stop you, instead just running for your life up the staircase, then swinging yourself into the hallway and making a beeline for your room.

You can hear someone closing in on you. Throwing yourself inside, you shut the door and lock it behind you.

A fraction of a second later, Leo’s voice speaks from outside, a desperate knock on the door sounding with it. “___, I know this must be confusing. We can explain some of it to you, just let me in, okay? Don’t isolate yourself. I know we can’t explain much, but I can see how much you’re hurting. Don’t try to deal with this on your own. We’ve only got a few days left until this is all over-”

“But you want me to just forget everything and move on. I can’t Leo- I, I’ve tried to, I ignored what happened in the pool, and the way Byron and Sid were fighting and the way Byron was with you, I’ve been able to ignore it for you all. But that I can’t just ignore, I mean, the way you all reacted to Louis, and him doing that in the first place, it… I…”

Your rant trails off into nothing, and you turn around, slumping back against the door. The mental and emotional exhaustion of the last ten minutes hits you, and you slide down to the ground, fresh tears emerging. Your arms wrap around your stomach while you try to stifle the sobs, biting your lip so hard you feel it start to ache after a few seconds.

Leo is silent for a few long seconds. When he speaks again, his words are imploring, almost begging, but so soft and desperate that your heart squeezes again. “Don’t ignore it, then. Let it out. I’ll tell you what I can, Princess. Let me in.”

You can’t do it. You can’t say no to him, can’t bring yourself to make him leave you alone. Although crying and thinking through this alone will be less frustrating… you need someone. You don’t want to be alone. It’s the one thing you hate the most when you’re upset. You can do it most of the time, but you feel so vulnerable and need the support. Your heart wants someone else. It doesn’t want to bear a weight on its own again.

Forcing yourself to stand up, you place your hand on the lock, making sure you want to let him in. Swallowing back your apprehension, you turn it back and open the door a little.

Leo reacts immediately, nudging it open enough to slide himself in. He shuts and locks it again, then turns to you.

The pain in his eyes when he sees your tears, and the way your arms have wrapped around yourself defensively, is almost unbearable. You look down, avoiding his gaze.

“Come here, Princess.” He breathes out the words ever so gently, leaning down to scoop you up and carry you over to your bed. Your face buries itself in his shoulder, and it remains there even as he sits down, setting you on his lap. He cradles you against his chest, hushing you ever so gently.

You let yourself cry properly now, not holding back anything. The noise is quietened by his clothes, which you’re thankful for, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all. He rocks you back and forth in his arms, lips brushing over the skin of your forehead. Just that small action sets you off into more tears, since it reminds you so much of what happened with Louis and how confused you are.

“T-Tell me… what’s going on. Whatever you… can…” You manage to gasp out your words between sobs. He lets out a soft breath.

“Okay. What do you know, or what have you put together so far?” He asks, his voice almost faraway. You take a moment to get your breathing under control, tears still running down your face, before you answer.

“I know that the agreement is something you’ve all come to between yourselves, and are waiting to act on, but most or at least a few of you are scared and want to wait. The likes of Sid want to put it into action because he knows it’s… well… bothering me, as shown by my lack of emotional stability.” He goes to respond to that, but you lift your hand up to press your fingers against his mouth, stopping him from doing so.

“I’m guessing, although I don’t want to say I’m certain, that this agreement is significantly to do with me, or I’m a part of it at least, and so I’m part of the problem in some way. It also seems to be something to do with the way you guys are acting around me and the things you’re doing. Every time something’s happened, it’s been when I’ve had a moment of being close with someone and the others have responded badly to it. That’s what’s worrying me the most.”

He’s silent for what feels like a very long time.

Finally, he speaks, his voice almost weak. When you go to move your hand away from his lips, he reaches up to stop you, instead resting the pads of your fingers against his mouth. Your body flushes with heat. “You pretty much got everything you can know.” He murmurs, shifting you to be held even tighter in his grip. “I’ll be honest, the problem is _centred_ on you, but you didn’t cause it in any way, shape or form. That responsibility and blame lies with all of us.”

The right side of his lip twitches up. “I’m not scared about telling you.”

“Stop lying. The side of your mouth’s curled up.” Your mutter makes him wince, before he reconsiders his words and corrects them.

“Alright, I am scared, but I want to do it sooner than later. I didn’t think this would cause so much trouble the closer we got to telling you, but apparently I was wrong. It’s really causing issues now.”

He sighs again, but he smiles, seeing that your tears are stopping and that you’re calming down properly. You’ve got that expression that tells him you’re carefully putting your composure back together, are working through everything that hurts and making yourself strong again. “That’s pretty much all I can say. Did that help or make you feel better?”

You don’t respond for a second. Finally, you nod a little, reaching up to fiddle with the cord necklaces dangling from his neck. He grins a little, although it weakens quickly. You usually do that when you’re nervous.

“Hey.” He murmurs, seeing you glance up at him, one of your eyes hidden behind your hair, the other swollen and a bit red. Your gaze skitters away, and you press your face into his neck again. He shakes his head, reaching over to get a tissue from your bedside table. Proceeding to gently put his hands on your sides to pull you around, he moves you to be sat facing him on his lap.

You don’t stop him, but you keep your eyes downcast. He tucks the pieces of hair obstructing his view of your face behind your ears. He then dabs away the tears and moisture on your cheeks with a feather-light touch. He would normally lick them off as a joke or brush them away, or something along the lines, but that probably wouldn’t be wise at the moment.

When your face is dry and you don’t look as dishevelled as a few minutes ago, he takes a moment to watch you, seeing little things that indicate to him all the tiny things you’re feeling. There’s that tightness in the corner of your mouth that says you’re frustrated and are chewing the inside of your cheek, your hands laced together in your lap indicating nervousness, but he knows that’s probably because of the whole situation. There’s a small tremor running through you, barely noticeable, but he feels it against his thighs as you sit there.

“Want to lie down for a few minutes?”

The question is so sudden, unexpected and bizarre, your head snaps up, eyes wide with confusion. He grins. “Come on, you know I give the best cuddles. Come here.”

He opens his arms in invitation, and although a slight blush dusts your cheeks, you sniffle and move forward to cling to his neck. Trying to stop your shaking and find solace in his closeness, you let him sit back before lying down, your legs on either side of his, body resting atop his own. He smiles, running his fingers up and down your spine and through your hair. He plays with it lovingly, listening to your slightly uneven but slowing breaths, feeling your arms tighten around his throat a little.

He stays there for a long time, cradling you, holding you close and soothing you until you’re calm once more. When he thinks you’re okay, he places his lips at the shell of your ear, murmuring softly, “Shall I tuck the princess into bed and let her sleep, even though it’s only three in the afternoon?”

Although you are sleepy, it’s only because you’re so relaxed now.  You shake your head slowly, answering sluggishly, “No… I couldn’t sleep anyway. Need to see that Sid and Louis are okay.”

He has to chuckle at that, thinking that it’s very like you to say such a thing. “Okay. Well, how about we go downstairs in a few minutes and see them, or I go and find them and bring them up here? They might have to come in separately, though.”

You are quiet for a few heartbeats. “Giles said not to interfere with them.”

Leo nods, feeling a small, brief vibration in his jean pocket. He reaches down to swiftly pull it out from under you, then hold it behind your head while he reads the message on the screen, on Facebook’s Messenger app. You can’t see him do this, but he’s quick to skim his eyes over the words.

 

**_“‘Auntie’ Giles_ **

_Leo and Sid are somewhat calm now, still outside, but they have decided to distance themselves from each other for now. Byron has the situation under control now and is suggesting himself, Albert and Nico take them both out, then separate them to fully get their emotions under control. Tell ___ that they’ll be back in little while; they have agreed to go out. We will remain here for the time being.”_

Leo nods to himself slightly, distracting you by sifting his free fingers through your hair, while the free thumb busies itself with typing a response.

 

**_“Leo the Fabulous_ **

_Okay, I’ll tell her. Tell me if you get any updates, or anything happens. I’ll probably come downstairs in a few minutes. I want to make sure she’s okay.”_

He sends the message before locking his phone and dropping it onto the bed, speaking while rubbing your back in a circular motion now that his hand isn’t occupied. “I’m just going downstairs for a few minutes. Byron, Sid, Nico, Albert and Louis are going out for a bit, just to make sure they’ve got everything sorted out, but they’ll be back soon.”

You don’t say anything, but a shaky breath rattles out of you. You don't particularly like the thought of them having to be separated to calm down, but you suppose it's the best way that they think the situation can be handled. You'll have to just trust that they're making the right decisions about this. You nod into his chest.

He lets you lie there for a few more moments, then sits up, shifting you to be in his lap again. Moving the covers out from underneath him, he leans down to lay you against the mattress, your arms loosening and slipping away from his neck. You let yourself fall back, swiping at the strands of your hair that drop over your eyes.

Leo smiles gently, standing up while he pulls the covers back up and tucks the locks behind your ears, before he cups your cheek in his palm. Your skin warms under the touch, and your breathing quickens slightly when he leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“Hang in there, Princess.” He utters, his voice purring out against your skin. You suppress a shiver, feeling him grin when you close your eyes. “Soon, I promise. Not much longer now.”

He pulls back, and your eyes open slowly as his hands retracts from your face. Looking up him, you remind yourself to breath, taking in the sight of him bathed in the sunlight coming in through the French doors. He steps back after picking his phone up, telling you, “I’m just going to check on everyone, and then I'm bringing you a surprise, okay? Stay here.”

Before you can even respond, he whips around and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him quietly.

_What’s wrong with me? I never cry this much. Why am I so distressed all of a sudden?_

You think about Leo’s lips on your forehead, and Louis’, and how you danced with him before everything went wrong. You remember all of their touches, think about all of the ways they’ve held you and let you get close. Your heart flutters, insides twisting pleasantly.

_There’s no doubt about it now._

Your hands reach out to take the white teddy bear on your bed, a present from Louis for your birthday a few years ago. You clutch it to your chest, holding it close, trying to find happiness in it. You cuddle into the plushies of the boys that you have.

_I'm in love with them._

The fury on Sid’s face from earlier flashes through your mind’s eye. The disapproving looks of the others when he made suggestive jokes, the mention of jealousy from Byron, the way they have taken you from him twice.

_And I’ll never hope for it, to save myself the heartbreak. But I think they might just love me too._

**♡♔♡**

Leo is practically running as soon as he leaves your room.

He rushes down the stairs, trying to keep himself calm. His heart is pounding away, not from moving so fast, but from another thing entirely. Namely, another person, who is now lying down and hopefully relaxing.

“Don’t have beaten the life out of each other, don’t be dead, don’t be dying…” He mutters to himself upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, sprinting to the front doors. He opens one and slips outside, closing it behind him.

Up ahead of him, by the fountain, he observes the other guys all stood together. They’re separated slightly, though; Sid and Louis are about fifteen foot away from each other, and both have a few of the others stood close to them. Byron, Albert and Nico are hovering around Sid, with Byron positioned to be in front of him and a bit to the side as if to block him. Louis has Alyn, Giles and Robert near him, and Alyn is very clearly ready to react should Louis move, standing tensely next to him.

Leo blurs down the steps as fast as he can, running over to them all. They glance over at him when he gets close, and he immediately tries to update himself with what’s going on.

“Everyone okay?” He asks, slightly breathless from moving so quickly. Sid makes a face, baring his teeth just a little, and Louis sends him a very sharp glare.

“We are calming down.” Byron answers, voice hard and emotionless, steely with command. His gaze switches between the two, very serious and almost angry. “Sid. Louis. Enough.”

The snapped words break the two out of their silent hatred, and although they continue to be blatantly frustrated with each other, they look away. Giles speaks, his voice nearly as authoritative as Byron’s but not quite as terse. “I suggest the best way to resolve this issue would be to go through with Byron’s idea, and to separate the two of you until you are coherent enough to see reason.”

Sid immediately scowls, growling, “I’m completely coherent. He’s the one who’s not – you saw him just then. You saw what he did. He completely stepped out of line-”

“I was within all of the boundaries of the agreements and within comfortable areas of contact. I did nothing wrong. You just assumed as usual, and were wrong as usual.” Louis cuts him off, his normally soft and mostly inexpressive tone now full of rage and hatred.

Sid’s eyes narrow, body tensing. He starts to move toward Louis. “You little son of a-”

“Calm the fuck down!” Alyn shouts over Sid’s snarled words, standing in front of Louis while pointing a finger at Sid. Byron immediately plants a hand on the latter’s chest and shoves him back, away from Louis, before giving him a warning look. Alyn continues. “You need to stop trying to kick the shit out of him every time he speaks. Get yourself under control, right now!”

Sid lets out a mirthless laugh, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “Are you kidding me? I’m not going to kick the shit out of him. It wouldn’t make him any less of a spoilt brat and wouldn’t make him listen to what I’m saying anyway. You, Alyn, are part of this fucking problem. He might not have kissed her then, not on the lips anyway, but he was certainly thinking about it. I saw him looking.”

His rage intensifies, eyes scorching. “You weren’t there. You didn’t feel the rage when I thought he’d gone back on his word and stolen her away before we put the plan into action. Don’t try to tell me what to do when you weren’t there yourself.”

“Sid,” Leo starts slowly, knowing that he needs to calm him down. Sid is a destructive person, and can end up doing huge damage to himself and other people when he loses it completely. Usually it’s you that deals with him when he’s like this, but you can’t be here now.

Leo has to get this under control, now.

“I was there. I know how you felt. It hurt, right? It made you panic so bad, and made you want to scream and cry because you’ve never felt so devastated by something before?” Sid says nothing, but his eyebrows furrow a little more, eyes betraying pain. Leo nods.

“Me too. I’ve never experienced anything that strong before. I know what you mean. I understand. But, shouting and acting like this with each other,” Leo glances at Louis. “Both of you, is not going to help. We need to work through this. If we can’t sort out something like this, the whole agreement won’t function. There’ll be no point to it.

“Both of you know what happens if we get that ending to the story. We’ll lose someone, if not all of us, all of this, and it’ll be just as painful if not more. One might get her, but the rest won’t, and it will destroy her because she cares so much for _all_ of us. We matter to her more than anything in the world, apart from her own life, Lucian and her mother. You saw her when she lost her father. Imagine what losing us would do to her.”

The boys take a moment to imagine that. They remember how you were when your father died, remember the hollowness of your eyes, the days you spent doing nothing or sleeping away the sorrow, the tears you cried out of pain and grief and guilt. They can’t go through that again. It would ruin them.

This seems to get through to Sid and Louis. It’s unfair and cruel, but it hits home. It’s what’ll make them think.

It’s quiet for a few, very long, very tense seconds. Sid clenches his jaw, then lets out a sharp breath. “I won’t let her lose us. I’m not doing that to her.”

“Nor am I.” Louis agrees, rather begrudgingly, but he seems to be able to calm himself a little more now. His face becomes blank and unreadable, although his eyes still show some emotion. “This is all I have. I don’t want to lose this just as much as I don’t want her to suffer loss again.”

“Then it’s settled.” Byron concludes, crossing his arms. “I would still advise that you both take some time away from each other and ___ to fully shake off your anger, then return back here and try to act as normally as possible for her. Seeing us fighting amongst ourselves is something that she cannot bear. We must end these problems here, now, to ensure that she does not have to worry any more than she already is.”

Leo makes a face. “But we’re probably also going to have to tell her sooner than the week deadline. If that hadn’t have been in place already and this happened, I would have suggested it myself, even though I wasn’t keen on rushing through with this. She feels useless because she can’t help. That’s why she was crying so much. She’s worried sick about us and hates how little she can do. I don’t think she’ll be able to carry on like this, not if we’re having problems or spats every few days.”

Alyn frowns deeply, and Albert swallows thickly, looking away. Nico glances at Byron, who looks pensive. Giles nods slowly, and Robert looks defeated. Sid nods more surely. Louis diverts his eyes to the ground.

When no one speaks for a good ten seconds, Byron does, his voice grave. “Alright.” He breathes out, sounding agitated. “I don’t want to do it so quickly, but I cannot watch her suffer like this. I will not have her crying the way she was, will not have her running away from us.”

There’s a collective nod around the group. Sid pulls his car keys out from his pocket, looking to Byron. “I’ll just drive around for a while and come back when I’m ready.”

“Wait.” Byron stops him, catching his arm when he starts to move away. “I have somewhere I think you’ll appreciate and use while you’re here. I may as well show you it now.”

Sid considers this for a few heartbeats. He finally grunts, throwing his keys to Byron. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Byron nods, tolerating Sid’s slightly aggressive manner of speech. He turns to Albert and Nico. “Take Louis to it. Bring him back when he’s calm.”

The two nod, and Louis looks both irritated and confused at how Byron is speaking around him. Although Albert looks apprehensive at first, an encouraging look from his brother makes him incline his head, then turn around and start to approach Byron’s car. Sid stalks off toward his own, Byron following behind. Nico takes Louis’ arm and guides him over to the car, speaking to him quietly. Louis’ frown deepens, expression showing distrust, but he says nothing and gets in the car.

Those remaining, Alyn, Leo, Robert and Giles, watch silently as half of the group drives around the fountain and to the gates. It’s only when they drive around the corner, obscured by the thick vegetation of the forest, that Alyn murmurs lowly,

“Hey.” He turns to the other three, who look back with varying expressions. His brow furrows. “Was he really going to kiss her?”

Leo cuts Giles a look, who returns the uncertain glance before moving his gaze to Robert. Said Branche winces, replying quietly, “He was… well within proximity to do it. He was almost kissing her for about seven seconds; there were mere millimetres of space between them, much closer than the typical dip, which was what he was doing.”

Alyn makes a face, looking even more annoyed. Robert continues after sighing. “I don’t think he would have actually gone through with it, but he was very nearly there, and was very tempted to do it.”

Alyn shakes his head, snapping, “Why the hell would he do that? We agreed to keep this all a secret, and to not do anything that would suggest what’s going on. It’s ridiculous.”

“To be fair,” Giles starts to reply, raising an eyebrow. “I have a feeling that it’s a product of the way the whole group has been acting since getting here. We’ve all been, regardless of how we’ve tried to act normal, much more risky with our affections. We’ve gotten extremely close to her and have failed in hiding our emotions very well at all. It’s no surprise that she’s upset and confused, and that Louis is less able to control himself.”

Leo rubs the back of his neck, squinting at the bright sunlight. “It’s also no surprise that she’s basically sussed out what the agreement’s about, why we’re acting the way we are, and that she’s most likely starting to click on to why it’s happening. I have a feeling she’s already put two and two together. Think about earlier today.”

Alyn’s pupils expand slightly. “What do you mean?”

Leo looks to his twin, two pairs of identical eyes staring back at one another. “After she had a bath, you know when Nico went to check on her, she was on the phone to her mother. Right?” Alyn nods, recalling Nico telling them all the little bits of conversation he’d heard.

It had included how you are feeling here and the boys being a bit off, but otherwise okay. He also heard something about you caring about the boys more than you should. Nico left at that point, not wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation any more, even though knowing what you talked about after that could have been extremely important to them.

“I went back up a little later to feed Sebastian and was going to check up on her, but when I got to her door, it almost sounded like she was crying a little bit. There was movement, but it was repetitive, like she was doing the pacing thing she does when she’s panicking. That, when following what Nico heard about her caring about us too much, and the way she was almost nervous and seemed to be shy when she came down afterward?”

Leo’s gaze hardens with resolve, although it’s still slightly unsure. “I would say our chances are higher than we predicted. I think she might just feel the way we do. If she was unhappy with what she thought about the situation, about us, I would have seen it. I would have been able to tell straight away. She wasn’t upset or uncomfortable in the slightest, not in a way that would suggest she doesn’t like what she knows.”

Giles’ breath catches in his throat. “You think-”

He doesn’t finish his sentence. He doesn’t need to.

Leo nods, no hesitation at all.

A slight frown appears on Giles’ face. He shifts where he stands, his crossed arms tightening with stress. “I don’t want to create any hope for this, but your point is very relevant and, I must say, sensible. You are very much more often right than wrong with things like this. Of course, we had chances before, but I never considered that they could be quite this high.”

Robert nods at that, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair and pull it back from his face. It gives him a rougher look than usual and makes his features more sharp than usual, but also significantly stronger. It makes him even more handsome than he usually does, and the stark difference in how it makes him look has, to his embarrassment, drawn attention to him several times in school from… Well, let’s just say that the group has some ‘fans’ across the different years of students. They like his hair this way a lot.

“I suppose this is a good sign, and an indication that our observations have been quite accurate so far.” Robert lets a breath slip through his lips, his soft amber hues dropping to the ground. “It doesn’t quite settle the fear and nervousness, though.”

Leo steps forward now, placing a hand on Robert’s shoulder. He gives him a smile, trying to get his usually confident friend to relax.

“It’ll be okay. We’ll get through this. We always do, regardless of the problem. Every day, I’m becoming more sure of this. Just watching her interact with us when we get close… everything in me says it’s right. I can’t shake it off. Sid’s getting the same feeling, that she responds just like we do, that those reactions have moved over a spectrum into _this_ territory.”

Robert seems more reassured by that. He nods once more, fixing his hair back down before smiling. “Good point. Thank you, Leo.”

Leo just grins, happy to see that he’s helped him a bit. He hooks an arm around Robert’s neck, pulling him into a sideward hug while he laughs out, “Let’s just try to get back to normal. C’mere, Picasso.”

Robert lets out a chuckle at the nickname, but he puts his arm around Leo’s neck and hugs him back. They are close like this, and although they’re not overly affectionate with each other, they do very much enjoy contact with each other when the moment’s right. “Excellent plan, Socrates. Let us be normal.”

Both of them laugh together, and the atmosphere between the four lifts slightly. Alyn still looked annoyed and worried, and Giles still seems tense, but he’s smiling a little.

“Right,” Leo breathes out when he stops laughing, still hugging Robert absently. “I suppose someone should go check on her and see if she’s okay.” He looks around the three, raising an eyebrow. “Who’s had the least time with her since we’ve been here?”

They take a few moments to work it out, eventually deciding that Robert and Giles have probably had roundabouts the least amount of time with her other than Albert. Giles gives Robert a gentle look, telling him, “I don’t mind who goes to see her. If you want to, or would rather not, I have no problem either way.”

Robert smiles back softly, responding, “I don’t mind either. I’d like to her to make sure she’s feeling better, but if you would like to go, by all means you can.”

Alyn rolls his eyes at the two, huffing out, “Seriously?” He shakes his head. “Both of you pick a number between one and ten. Say it out loud.”

Robert’s smile widens, amusement sparkling in his eyes. Giles grins slightly, laughing once again. He speaks first. “Seven.”

Robert follows afterward. “Three.”

Alyn nods. “Robert was closer; the number was one. He goes to see her.”

Giles looks satisfied with this and nods. Robert beams, patting Leo on the shoulder before detaching himself. “Thank you, Alyn. I will go and see her, then.” The three watch him turn around and enter the house again, their hearts heavy with the same ache but at the same time lighter.

Robert bounces up the stairs, swinging himself around the doorway into the hall before making a beeline for your room. He stops in front of the door, knocking on it lightly. “Princess?”

It’s silent. He waits for your reply, but he gets none. Almost instantly, he starts to think the worst and his insides churn, but he forces the feelings back. Inhaling deeply, he knocks again. “Princess? I’m coming in.”

He opens the door slowly, waiting for you to react. You don’t, and he steps into the room before shutting the door, then looking over to your bed.

His heart squeezes in his chest, missing a beat before beating faster. His beautiful smile comes back full-force.

He spies you in your bed, lying down among your plushies of the boys that they got you a while ago. Leo initially got his one made for you when he went off on a trip to Fairmark, thinking that if you missed him, you’d have the plushie. You loved it, thinking that it was adorable, and the others soon followed after Leo said he didn’t mind.

He can see that you are cradling the white teddy bear Louis got you in your arms, cuddling it in your sleep. The late afternoon sunlight fills the room with a beautiful golden glow from the French doors and full-length windows showing outside, and it bathes your still form softly, enhancing all of the colours in the room and your beautiful features.

Robert’s emotions go into overdrive. He must paint this when he has the chance.

He slowly approaches the bed, being very cautious and gradual while coming around to the left side, where you’re lying down. Seeing no movement from you, he sits down carefully next to you, staring down at your angelic face. His smile widens, eyes becoming adoring and loving. Without even thinking, he reaches up to brush the back of his fingers across your cheek, feeling the warm, soft skin underneath his touch.

You shift a little, breathing in deeply, before a quiet sigh escapes you. He watches, fascinated, as you turn your face into his fingers with a tiny smile gracing your lips. Deciding that he should probably leave you in peace, he cups your face in his hand, leaning down to press the lightest of kisses to the crown of your head. He then pulls back, standing up, and grins. Your smile has grown, although you’re still asleep, and you seem to stretch in your sleep while you hold onto your teddy bear even tighter.

Ignoring the urge to just stay with you, he turns around, heading to the door. Opening it, he glances back at you one more time, taking in the scene and etching it into his mind. He finds himself smiling again, before he leaves the room and shuts the door gently.

Crossing the hallway, he makes his way to his own room, going in and heading for Amber’s hutch. She starts to squeak and jump about when she sees him, and he laughs lightly, opening the door. He reaches in to pick her up so that she won’t prick him, then cradles her against his chest.

She needs to have some time outside every day, so he decides to take her out now, since the house is half empty and you are asleep. It’s also warmed up considerably from earlier, and upon checking the temperature, he sees that it’s warm enough for her to be out for a little while.

He makes his way out of his way and downstairs, where Leo is leaning against the doorframe to the living room, standing in the hallway leading to the kitchen. He turns around upon hearing Robert descend the stairs, then grins, seeing Amber in his arms.

“You taking her out?” He asks, straightening up and moving into the living room. Robert nods, coming to stand next to him. Leo, having spent quite a bit of time around Amber, is known to her and reaches out to her, letting her sniff his hand. When she relaxes, he reaches under her chin to stroke it gently, humming out, “I think I’ll take Sebastian out too, and see if Giles wants to let Michelangelo out. We need to see about bringing Jess and Arthur over in the next few days too, if everyone’s okay with it.”

Robert nods again, watching Amber start to close her eyes, lulled by Leo’s soothing touch. “Yes, we should. Let’s just get this main problem out of the way first, and then we can look to the more permanent changes.”

Leo smiles. “Definitely.” He retracts his hand, making his way down the corridor to the kitchen. Peeking inside, he calls to Giles, who is currently sipping at some tea, “Hey, Robert’s taking Amber out and I’m letting Sebastian out too. Do you want us to let Michelangelo out too? We’ll make sure he stays in eyesight.”

Giles nods, swallowing his tea before replying, “I will come out in a moment. If you wouldn’t mind, I would appreciate you letting him out.” He pauses for a moment. “Is ___ alright?”

Robert comes to the doorway now, still cradling the content hedgehog in his arms. He answers before Leo can respond. “She’s fast asleep. She must have been tired out from being so upset, but I think she’ll be fine. She was holding the bear from Louis and sleeping by all of her plushies, so hopefully she is more relaxed now.”

Giles and Leo nod at the same time. Leo smiles, looking satisfied. “Good. I think we’ll be okay. I’ve got a good feeling about this.” He turns to Robert. “Well, I’m going to go and get Sebastian and Michelangelo. See you outside in a minute?”

Robert smiles back, nodding once more. He goes down the corridor and into the living room, then outside, where he sets Amber down on the grass and crouches down next to her.

Meanwhile, Leo wanders upstairs, going to his room. He slips inside, and almost immediately he is met with wings flapping around his face and a voice squawking at him, “Leo, here! Bored! Bored!”

“Hey, hey, okay! I’m letting you out, don’t worry!” Holding his hand up, Sebastian perches on his finger, tilting his head. “I’m just going to let the cat out too, you know Michelangelo? I’ll be outside in a minute. Don’t fly off anywhere while I’m letting him out.”

Sebastian flaps his wings again. “Cat, cat! Don’t like! Mean!”

Leo snorts. “Yeah, sure. Come on.”

He goes over to the French doors, unlocking them and stepping outside. Sebastian launches himself into the air, squawking loudly. Leo stands there for a moment, watching the parrot spread his wings and soar through the sky. He finds himself smiling just a little, although it’s a wistful smile. He wishes to be free like Sebastian, to be able to fly and travel and learn. He wants to do things with the group, with _you_. That’s the only consistent goal he’s had in life, and it’s never been one that’s faltered since he made it his objective.

Shaking his head, he turns and leaves his room, going to Giles’ room. He opens the door, peeking in and spying Michelangelo sitting on the railing of the balcony. The cat looks over when he steps into the room, then slips through the door to the balcony, which is slightly ajar. He reaches out to let the cat sniff his hand, then gently runs his fingers over his head, massaging gently. He feels Michelangelo start to purr, vibrations thrumming under his skin, and Leo chuckles softly.

“You want to go down and outside?” Michelangelo stands up, rubbing his head against Leo’s palm. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on.”

He gives him one more stroke before going back in the room, seeing the feline follow him in with a bob in his steps. Leo closes the balcony door, then the bedroom door when Michelangelo walks into the hallway. The white-haired male feels calm as he goes to the stairs, the house silent and still, the cat descending the steps alongside him. Leo goes through the living room to the backdoor, going outside.

He sees Giles stood with his tea, staring out at the gardens, while Robert is kneeling down and watching Amber walks about on the grass. Alyn is sat on one of the steps leading into the gardens, elbows on his knees. Leo can see that he’s fiddling with the necklace that he always wears, one that Leo has a bracelet version of as well.

All of them have some form of it; after everything that happened with Byron’s father, the group was teetering on the edge of falling apart, and it was only through unbelievable strength, willpower, negotiations and a slap that the peace was maintained between everyone. After that, they all vowed and swore never to allow such a thing to happen again, and Leo suggested that they all get something to remind them of how much they need each other.

Everyone has either a ring, bracelet or necklace with the symbol on it that they use to locate each other when lost, or to communicate when technology isn’t available.

Alyn, Byron and Albert have a necklace, Nico, Louis, Leo and Robert have bracelets, and you, Sid and Giles have rings. The rings integrate the symbol into the band and are light, made of sterling silver. The bracelets are a strong, durable chain wrapped twice, then clasped at the symbol, which closes on both sides.

To other people, it’s an odd thing to have on a piece of jewellery, a set of lines that cross over each other. But to the group, it means everything.

Leo absently reaches up to take hold of the symbol dangling from his own necklace, fingering the strong metal it’s made from. He feels a sense of security from having it in his grip, knowing that the group is together and that they’re all alright. It gives him a calm sensation of control, of safety and family that he was lacking for years.

None of the four speak. Instead, they just bask in the sunlight and silence, waiting for the others to return, or for you to wake up, and for the aftermath of all that’s happened.

They can only wait until the world shows them the next set of cards it wants to play.

**♡♔♡**


	12. XII | Meeting the Steiners and Sid, Jealousy, First Death.

**♡♔♡**

_You meet Nico, Albert and Byron separately. Sid follows afterwards._

_The first time you see the three Steiners is when they enter the cafeteria in year eight, in November. They walk in together, Byron at the front, Nico and Albert behind them. You don’t even know their names at this point. You immediately sense unbelievable power and elegant presence from the first one, seeing him completely inexpressive and emotionless in his body language. The smallest one looks uncomfortable and almost anxious, staying close to the first one’s back. The third, the tallest, eyes the people in the room with no trust at all, body tense and ready for a fight. You wonder why._

_They don’t stay in the cafeteria, instead passing through before heading towards the less used rear side of the school. You barely take your eyes from them the whole time, as do the group. Giles and Leo seem curious, while Alyn and Louis seem wary. Robert’s expression is complexly unreadable._

_You speak to Nico first, in your Spanish class._

_You, Alyn and Leo sit together at your table at the back of the room, you and Leo engaging in a Spanish conversation while Alyn listens boredly._

_The door suddenly opens, revealing the smallest of the new students. He seems less worried and uncomfortable now, although saying that he looks at ease would be a lie. He speaks to the teacher quietly for a moment, who nods with a smile, then comes over to your table with him following silently._ _She grins at you all, chirping,_

_“Un estudiante nuevo! Se llamo Nico, él es de Stein. Es un pais en el nor.”_

_A new student! He is called Nico, he’s from Stein. It’s a country in the north._

_Nico, hmm? It’s a lovely name. And from Stein, too. I’ve never met anyone from there._

_You smile up at the rose-haired boy, greeting, “Hi!”_

_Leo nods to him, a small smile of his own surfacing. “Hey.” Alyn remains silent, but he nods as well. He’s still somewhat timid, more so with strangers._

_Nico returns the nods, responding, “Hello.”_

_You pull out the seat next to you, motioning for him to sit down. You’re starting to get the feeling, from his body language and wariness, that something’s not quite right with him. “You can sit here if you want to.”_

_He sets his bag on the floor under the table, then slides into the seat with a strange smoothness that you recognise from the way your father moves. It’s that liquid, fluid movement that seems inhuman, almost unnatural, and yet looks so beautiful. All of the people your father works with, in the big organisation he works for, are the same. They all have an air of powerful elegance about them._

_When he speaks again, he seems slightly more relaxed, giving you a small smile. You immediately think that his smile is beautiful, and that there’s something holding him back from smiling fully. “Thank you.”_

_The teacher speaks again now, her grin just as strong as before. “Right, Nico. These guys are really nice, I know they’ll take brilliant care of you. If you need help with the work or anything, or even just want to ask about the school, just ask them or call me over. Honestly, this lot are lovely. Don’t feel intimidated or like you can’t talk to them.”_

_He nods at her words, and she explains to him where you are in the Spanish course before talking to him about where he’s up to. He seems to be at roughly the same stage of the course, so she gives him the same worksheet as the rest of you before leaving. You turn to him with a smile, having been chatting with Leo, and offer, “Well, shall we start?”_

_For a moment, he’s completely still, pupils expanding just enough for you to notice. Tilting your head, your gaze softens, a gentle grin forming on your lips. He stares at you for a few seconds, apparently taken aback by something. It only makes you more certain that you need to learn more about him. “Yeah, okay.”_

_Nico quickly eases up and relaxes during your lesson, and you find that he’s actually extremely bright and cheerful, as well as almost painfully sweet. Although he becomes sombre as soon as you mention them, he tells you that the two boys with him earlier are his brothers, and that the eldest, slightly taller one is called Byron, whilst the youngest but tallest is Albert. Byron, apparently, doesn’t really want Nico to be making any friends, which sets alarm bells ringing in your head._

_You don’t want to leave him when the bell rings to signal the switchover, but you make yourself, telling him with a grin, “Hey, I know you said Byron doesn’t want you talking to anyone much or making friends, but you’re all welcome to come and sit with us at any time. We’ve got three more in the group, but they’ll be more than happy to have new people.”_

_Nico pauses in gathering his things together, moving his eyes to your face. For a moment, it almost looks like a twinge of pain runs through them, before he smiles, granted weakly. “Thank you. I will, if I can.” He picks his bag up, throwing it over his shoulder. “See you.”_

_You watch him leave, heart suddenly aching a little. Tilting your head to the side, you let out a sigh, then get your stuff together. Leo eyes Nico while he leaves, then speaks thoughtfully. “Something tells me there’s more going on behind the scenes with him and his brothers. I feel like he’s being held back by something. He became so energetic as the lesson went on.”_

_You nod, picking your bag up. When Leo finishes getting his things together, you all walk out of the classroom, heading for your next lessons. You reply, frowning slightly. “I noticed that as well. I think his brother might be restricting him a lot more than he’s letting on. I’ll try to find out why.” Needing to go in a different direction to go to Russian, you give Leo and Alyn a smile, saying, “Well, I’m going to Russian. See you at lunch.”_

_Leo smiles back. “See you later.”_

_Alyn nods. “See you.”_

_The walk to Russian is uneventful and pretty quiet, and in no time you are sat down, taking out your worksheets that you’ve been going through this week. You sit on your own on a table, since there are only eight people in the class excluding you, and they are all in pairs or threes. That’s never bothered you, though._

_About ten minutes in, the door opens. You glance up, and almost immediately you go still._

_Byron and Albert. Speak of the devils._

_Byron focuses on you for a brief moment, seeming to analyse you. He then does the same with the rest of the students while Albert monitors the room cautiously. Finally, Byron rests his gaze on the teacher, who stares back curiously, raising his eyebrows. “Welcome. You are the new students?”_

_The weight of Byron’s presence and stare is almost crushing; power, composure and control practically exude from him like smoke. It almost feels like it’s bearing down on your confidence and willpower, reducing your ability to think properly. You quickly come to attention again when he speaks, even his voice seeming to reverberate around the room despite the fact that he can only be twelve or thirteen at maximum. “Yes. I presume we’re in the correct class?”_

_Whoa. He’s well spoken. So, he and the other two are probably from a powerful family, or one of strong influence and social standing._

_The teacher seems amused by Byron’s monotone answer, replying coolly, “Yes. If you’d like to sit down, there are free seats on ___’s table.” He gestures to you when he says your name, and you quickly lower your eyes to your work._

_You hear the two approaching the table, and it takes all of your mental strength not to glance over your shoulder when they walk behind you. They sit down opposite you, their movements just like Nico’s; graceful, careful, well-transitioned. You glance up at them for a second, seeing them both staring straight at you. You’re immediately overwhelmed by the intensity of their gazes, and you can only manage a small smile before your eyes drop to the paper again._

_The teacher runs through the work with them, and their position with Russian, just like the Spanish teacher. When they’re settled and understand what they’re to do, he pulls back and lightly places his fingers on the desk next to your work. You look up at him, seeing him watching you with a smile, before he moves it to the two Steiners._

_“If you need any help or have any questions, you can ask ___. She’s extremely helpful and rather gifted with languages, so she’s ahead with her work and can assist with most of the content in those booklets.” Seeing you laugh quietly, ducking your head at his praise, he grins. “Call me over if you need anything.”_

_He walks back to his desk, leaving you alone with the two boys. Your confidence decreases slightly, but you ignore it, instead writing out some of the words in the booklet to memorise the Cyrillic spelling._

_You are pulled from this, though, when Albert speaks, his tone monotonous and deadly serious. “Excuse me. What time do these lessons start and finish, and when are the free sessions we’ve been told about?”_

_For a moment, your mind blanks. Feeling pressured from the two watching you so closely, and from the criticising edge to Albert’s stare, you try to answer as calmly as you can. “Well, the first lesson is from quarter to nine to quarter past ten. Then, if we don’t have tutorial, the next lesson starts at half ten and ends at half eleven.”_

_He has been writing this down on a piece of blank paper, you see, and you continue to tell him when the times are different for days with tutorial or experiences. When you’re done, you feel more confident and comfortable, glad to be of help and able to speak without messing up. “And that’s it, basically. If there are any other changes to times, for example if there’s an event on or something, we’ll be told through a text and most likely by the teachers when they get around to it.”_

_Albert nods, finishing taking in the information. Setting his pen down, he nudges his glasses up slightly, watching you with a focused expression. “Thank you. That was significantly more helpful than the instructions the office staff gave us on the way in.”_

_You wince, stifling a grimace at the sharp criticism. “They’re pretty busy in there, so they can be a little bit vague with their help. Have you been given your timetables yet?” He shakes his head. Your own bobs up and down. “Okay. You’ll need to get them from your form teacher. Have you been to see them yet?”_

_“No. Where will we find them?” He responds, eyebrow raised. “Shouldn’t we have been told this earlier?”_

_You give him a small smile, making a face. “Yeah. There’s some stuff going on today with an event that’s coming up, so everyone’s a bit distracted and it’s all a bit hectic in the school at the moment. Unfortunately, you guys came at one of the most disorganised times that the whole campus sees.” You shake your head. “First we need to work out who your form teacher is. I could show you to the progress manager if you want; she’ll be able to find out who your form teacher is.”_

_Albert looks to Byron now, who has been staring at you inexpressively, his cheek resting on his knuckles. He stays silent for a few long moments, before he finally speaks again. The cold, emotionless vibration of his voice sends a shiver rattling up your spine. “We would appreciate that. If possible, it would be helpful if we knew where all of our classes are prior to going to them. Would you be able to show us where they are?”_

_You internally fist pump, glad that you’ve forged yourself an opportunity to learn more about these three. You feel like they’ve got things going on that you could help with, and that they could fit in well with your group. Beaming, you nod quickly. “Of course! It’s lunch next, so we can go straight after this lesson if you’d like.”_

_He returns the nod, eyes fixated on yours. Trying not to feel intimidated by him and the way he stares at you, you keep smiling, looking down at your worksheet._

_Albert and Byron slowly get through some of the booklet, staying mostly silent while they do, but on occasion Albert refers to you for confirmation of answer. When the lesson ends, you all stand up, and you start to walk toward the progress manager’s office. The two boys follow behind you at a moderate distance, completely silent. You have to resist the urge to make conversation or try to be friendlier with them, since you feel like it would just end badly._

_When you get to the office, you introduce the two to the progress manager and she apologises for the inconvenience, then thanks you for helping out. She tells you that she will inform your teachers, and Albert and Byron’s, that you and them may be late to lessons since you’re showing them around to the classrooms. You thank her in return, then leave with the two once more._

_“So,” You sigh out with a smile, facing them both. “Are you getting something to eat in the dining room? You can eat in there, or in your form room as long as you don’t make a mess.”_

_Byron raises an eyebrow. “Will the form room be less populated?” Seeing your nod, he seems to relax ever so slightly. “We will go there, then.”_

_“Okay. Would you like me to show you where it is?” You reply, still smiling at them both. He nods again, and you hold your hand out. “Can I see your time table?”_

_He hands it over after retrieving it from his bag, and you look over his classes. He, Nico and Albert are all in your classes for English, Maths, Science, R.S., I.C.T., Tech and Music, and you will probably see them all in P.E. as well. They’re also in your form, which you find to be quite coincidental. But then, at the same time it isn’t; the teachers here are careful to put together forms with people of similar personality as to make the forms as comfortable as possible._

_“Right…” You murmur, eyes drifting over the timetable. “You’re in nearly all of my classes, so I’ll be able to help you most of the time if you need it. You’re in my form, as well, and my friends are in there too. It’s a really lovely form.” You give the paper back, then start to backtrack in the direction of your form room. “It’s this way.”_

_You introduce them to the form teacher and leave when they’re settled, grinning when they thank you quietly and sit in the seats in the corner, saying that they’ll wait for Nico to arrive. They’re sat away from where the group normally does, which could be an equally good or bad thing. You suppose it could go either way, and simply tell them that you’ll bring Nico to the room should you see him._

_You then go to the cafeteria, seeing that you’ve got twenty minutes left. Heaving out a breath, you quickly navigate to your group’s table, seeing the others sat together. Leo and Giles seem to be engaged in conversation, but they both pause upon seeing you approach. You give them a smile, throwing your bag under the table before plopping down in the chair between Robert and Louis._

_Feeling your body go limp as the tension escapes it, you drop your head onto the table, taking a moment to calm yourself after being in the presence of such an intimidating person for so long. Don’t get me wrong, you feel like both Albert and Byron aren’t bad people and that they are just very untrusting, but Byron certainly has a very powerful aura, and it’s hard to ignore the effects of it._

_“___?” Louis’ voice sounds to your left, ever so soft and quiet, that you almost miss it with the noise of the other students. Raising your head, you see him staring down at you, his expression blank but eyes showing concern. “Are you alright?”_

_You nod, giving him a reassuring smile and laughing out gently, “Yeah, thank you. I just need a minute to get a hold of myself; I was just showing two of the new students around.”_

_Louis nods, lowering his gaze. “I saw the three of them earlier. From what I’ve heard, they’re an influential family from Stein, but their father is rumoured to be rather dreadful.”_

_Your lips twist. You didn’t know about that._

_Recalling Nico’s tired, discontent expression, and Albert and Byron’s defensive natures, you find your determination to help them bolstered. You’ll do the same as you did with the rest of the group. You’ll support them and do everything you can to make them happy._

_You sit there for the rest of lunch, staring at the table, planning your approach. Even as the boys watch you worriedly or suspiciously, trying to get you to eat something, you remain still and deep in thought._

_Hang in there, you three. I’m going to help you._

**♡♔♡** _de_ _﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽_ _, nuevoll, chirping,_

_table with st of the new students. He seems less worried and uncomfotbaleand Louis seem wary_

_It’s mid January, and you’re freezing._

_You shiver, having just come into school late from a doctor’s appointment. Wincing a little at the pain lancing through your throat, you swiftly make your way through the courtyard, heading for Russian. Byron and Albert have started to open up to you a bit since you met them, even more so due to the fact that you’ve essentially adopted Nico into your group without any resistance from him._

_You don’t expect to see anyone walking about in the middle of lesson, outside. So, you can imagine your shock when there is an enraged shout and a thud through the archway to the second courtyard._

_You approach the arch cautiously._

_Upon passing through it, you immediately jump back, watching as a boy in your year falls to the ground on his back. He coughs before standing up with a sway, then whips around to you with wide eyes. Your own eyes snap to the apparent cause of his fall._

_A boy, with inky black hair and indigo hues, an unsettlingly smug smirk on his lips._

_He stares back at you, not saying a word._

_The boy who fell lets out a growl before lurching towards the other one, who doesn’t so much as move. When the attacking boy gets close, the taller male swerves out of the way, then catches him by the back of his shirt, dragging him backward roughly. With a shocked cry, he’s tossed back to the floor, hitting it hard. His head connects with the cement, a sharp cracking sound coming from it, and it’s at this point that you decide to stop them._

_“Hey!” You snap, moving forward to be between the two. Glaring up at the still smirking boy, you scowl, questioning, “What the hell’s going on here?”_

_He snorts, rolling his eyes. “He said something he shouldn’t have. I’m teaching him to have some respect.”_

_The boy behind you climbs to his feet unsteadily, staggering slightly before he snarls, “You’re just pissed because your parents didn’t want you and sold you off, and I know about it.”_

_The tall boy’s smirk disappears, eyes blazing with rage. He takes a step forward, shouting, “You want to say that again, you little shit?”_

_Sensing that this will get ugly if it goes on, you move toward him and reach out, placing a hand on his shoulder. You then give him a firm push back, not so much to be aggressive but clearly warning. “Stop. Beating the life out of him won’t make anything better. If he’s saying something he shouldn’t, take it up with the teachers. Doing this means that you’ll be the one getting in trouble.”_

_He scoffs, eyes narrowing. “Do me a favour, stop trying to act like you understand what’s going on. Get out of here.”_

_You simply raise an eyebrow, crossing your arms. When he gives you a glare and bares his teeth slightly in annoyance, you turn your head to the side just a little, not moving your eyes from the taller boy. “Callum, I suggest you leave right now, before you get the shit beaten out of you. Go and do something productive, like thinking about what you’re going to say to the progress manager when she finds out about this.”_

_You hear him let out another growl, but he says nothing, somewhat alarmed by you knowing his name. Turning around, your gaze meets his, and you see him shrink back slightly when he feels the painful weight of your stare. You speak lowly, voice threatening. “Did I fucking stutter? Go away. Now.”_

_He looks between you and the taller boy for a second or two, breathing heavily. Then, with a frustrated shout, he swipes his bag from the floor and spins around on his heels, leaving the courtyard._

_For a moment, it’s quiet._

_“Look,” You murmur, gradually rotating back to face the taller boy. “Believe it or not, I’ve had experience with what it’s like to lose people. I’ve seen first-hand, and been told about, what it feels like to lose parents. He shouldn’t have said that, not in any circumstance, but you can’t just turn to violence every time. You can’t spend your life rising to people and lashing out.”_

_He watches your face carefully for a long few moments, analysing your body language and assessing you. Then, he responds, his tone completely lacking in emotion. “I don’t know who you are, although I’ll change that soon enough, but you need to stay the hell out of my problems. Stop acting like you know me.”_

_Although his words stab into you like knives, you don’t let this show and merely mutter back, “You’re distancing yourself because you think you can handle this on your own. Right? You think you don’t need anyone else and that you can just take care of your problems yourself?”_

_His glare becomes stronger. You roll your own eyes. “Exactly. Guess what? Doing that doesn’t solve anything. It might be simpler and easier for the time being, but it’s going to hurt in the long run. Fighting people won’t do jack shit. Putting yourself across to everyone as aggressive and dangerous isn’t a good thing. If you keep going like this, it’s only going to get worse.”_

_He shakes his head. “So what do you suggest doing, oh-knowledgeable-one? If you know all this so well and are so experienced, what should I do to stop being such a disappointment?”_

_There it is. I knew I was right._

_Your voice stays low, but it softens now, as you uncross your arms and give him a gentler look. “You’re not a disappointment. I’m not saying that at all. All I’m saying is, you have so much more potential, and doing things like this will only hold you back.” You take a tentative step forward, your words strong and sure. “Let me help you. Let me show you how to deal with these things in ways that will benefit you rather than hurt you. Give me a chance to show you what you’re capable of.”_

_His gaze remains on you for what feels like a long time, so intense and piercing and deep that shivers roll up your spine. You force your own stare to stay strong, not letting him get to you._

_Finally, he answers you._

_“Fine. The school roof, at the end of the day. Don’t bring any friends with you.”_

_He turns around and stalks away from you without so much as a second glance, the wind ruffling his hair and clothes. He disappears around the corner, and you let out a soft sigh, feeling the breeze gently moving your own hair around your face. A small smile tugging at your mouth, you shake your head, starting to make your way to Russian once more._

_“Challenge accepted. I’m going to help him whether he likes it or not.”_

**♡♔♡**

_Ugh…_

“___?”

_Hm?_

You come around slowly, somewhat disoriented and confused. You remember everything that happened before you fell asleep, thinking about how Sid and Louis fought and you cried ridiculously hard because Louis seemed to be going to kiss you. Letting out a soft groan, you roll onto your back, rubbing a hand over your face.

“Princess.”

_Wait._

Your eyes fly open. Louis and Sid were the ones speaking just now. At the same time. In your room.

Your body jolts up into a sitting position in mere microseconds, which you immediately regret, since your head spins and your vision goes black. You fall against the pillows, moaning for a second. It’s now that you sense heat on either side of you and feel the presence of two people, with at least someone else in the room. Your eyes open once more, taking in everything around you.

On your left, Louis is sitting cross-legged on your bed, face unreadable. Sid is on your right, smirking as usual, although it’s not as strong as usual. Glancing in front of you, you spot Byron sat on the love seat by the window, his chin resting on his knuckles. He gives you a small nod, along with a barely existent smile.

Nico is lazing across the seat, his head in Byron’s lap, while the taller male absently strokes his hair. He beams at you upon seeing you awake, which gives you that awfully pleasant burst of love in your chest. Albert stands next to them, leaning against the seat, while he watches Sid and Louis warily. He briefly glances at you, sending you a nod.

Looking to the side, you notice Giles perched on the end of the bed. He gives you a soft grin, eyes crinkling at the edges. Glancing back to the middle of the room, you observe Leo and Alyn leaning against your desk on either side, while Robert is sitting on the chair in front of it. He gives you an angelic smile, eyes almost glowing.

“Wha-” You cut your automatic response off mid-way, sitting up again. You look around the boys, wondering how long they’ve been in here, essentially watching you sleep. “How long have you all been in here?”

They glance around at each other, seeming to silently communicate for a moment through raised eyebrows and tilts of heads. Finally, Giles answers, his voice gentle. “Not long. Perhaps a few minutes.”

Your head drifts up and down. You glance between Sid and Louis. “Are you two okay? I mean, are you feeling better than before, at least?”

Louis is the first to respond, speaking quietly, before taking your hand very cautiously. It almost feels like he’s terrified of breaking you if he puts too much pressure on your fingers. “Yes. I apologise for earlier, in both how I acted during our dance and afterwards. That was inappropriate of me.”

Before you can tell him he’s forgiven, Sid speaks up, ruffling your hair for a second. He proceeds to push it back from your face, rubbing a thumb across your cheek while he agrees, “Same here, although I hate to admit it. I acted like an asshole and got angry way too quick. Sorry.”

Your throat swells slightly, although you know you’re not going to cry. It’s more a response of relief, in that they’ve come to an agreement of some sort and calmed down. “Good. You’re both forgiven.”

You choose not to ask Louis why he went to kiss you. You’re not sure that you’d be ready for any answer to such a question.

Instead, you glance out of the full-length window, seeing the sky descending into a blazing mix of orange and indigo. It must be around six. “How long have I been asleep?”

Robert replies to this gently, still smiling. “About two hours, give or take.”

You groan, immediately feeling guilty, before you raise your free hand to drag your hair away from your face. “Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

There’s a collective laugh from them all. Sid rolls his eyes. “Hey, stop apologising. You were stressed out and worried, so it’s understandable that you were tired.”

You make a face, but say nothing. Instead, you push the covers back with your free hand, then let go of Louis’ to stretch your arms and shake off the last of your sleep. You suddenly become aware of the fact that all of them are staring right at you, intently, closely, almost painfully obviously. You find yourself blushing slightly under the weight of their gazes, and you lower your eyes while you pull your arms behind your head.

You don’t see it, but Sid notices this. Resolve and confidence sparks in his eyes, and he turns to glance at Leo for a fraction of a second. The Crawford has the same look and sends him a knowing smile, passing the glance on to Byron. He watches you for a moment, catching the look, before he nods to himself.

This all happens in about two seconds, and then they return to how they were as you raise your head.

“So,” You yawn out, covering your mouth with your hand. You then drop it, looking around the boys. “Did I miss anything important?”

Leo speaks before the others can, shaking his head. “Nope. The guys went out and came back about twenty minutes ago, and the rest of us were just outside with Amber, Michelangelo and Sebastian. We wanted to wait until you woke up to see if you wanted to do anything in particular.”

You raise your eyebrows, heart aching just a little at the thought of Sid and Louis taking so long to calm themselves. You think for a moment, not coming up with anything in particular you want to do. “I don’t mind. I’m up for anything; you don’t have to wait for me to decide on something, and if you wanted to do something, you could have done it without me.”

There’s another wave of laughs and eye rolls at that. Leo grins, sauntering over to the bed, before hopping onto it and laying down next to Sid. He lets his head fall onto your lap, closing his eyes and sighing out amusedly, “You’re precious. We’re aware of that, but we prefer to wait for you. We don’t mind.”

Your feel a tightening sensation in your chest at the honest tone he speaks in, and a small smile creeps up on your lips. You reach down to rest your hand on his head, letting your fingers run through his snowy hair. Seeing his grin widen and feeling him lean into your touch, you start to stroke his head tenderly, moving your hand across the soft strands soothingly. “Thank you. Well, I don’t mind either way. It’s completely up to you guys.”

Sid scoffs, but he’s smiling. “For all that you can be stubborn as hell and strong-willed when it counts, you’re awfully indecisive, you know that?”

You can only grin at that, laughing out, “Yep. Indecisive and proud.”

Byron has been silent up until now, but all attention is drawn to him when a soft vibration and a quiet beep sound from his pocket. He pulls his phone out, gaze touching on the screen briefly, before he smiles and looks around the group. “Well, it seems that dinner will be done in a few minutes. If anyone’s interested, I’m going to go and get it out now.”

This makes you smile. You remember how, when you first met him, Byron didn’t know how to cook barely anything because his father had other people do it for them all. You taught him over the years, introducing him to different recipes. He didn’t even know how to chop tomatoes at first.

He glances down at Nico, who beams up at him, still resting his head in his lap. Byron’s expression becomes gentler as he pats his half brother’s head, raising an eyebrow. “Would you like to help?”

Nico nods enthusiastically, springing up from his place. Byron stands up afterward, focus drifting to you. “Be warned, if you try to help and fail to be lazy like Robert suggested earlier, I will have to have Nico tickle you again. Please, for once, let us handle everything.”

You take that light-heartedly, knowing that he genuinely wants you to be relaxed and not have to do much while you’re here. So, you nod, grinning at him. “Okay, I won’t. I promise.”

A small grin of his own forms for a brief moment, and then he has turned around and headed to the door with Nico bouncing alongside him. Albert drifts behind them both without a word, and Alyn pushes off from the desk to swivel around and trail after them. As they leave, you stick your tongue out at Byron’s back playfully, which makes the others laugh.

Succumbing to chuckles with them, you lower your eyes back to Leo, seeing him staring up at you with an unreadable gaze. When he meets your eyes, his already present smile widens, and he shifts his head to nuzzle his face into your palm. You can only watch him, heart thudding a little faster and emotions spiking. A surge of love, adoration and affection swell within you, showing in you as you brush your thumb over his cheekbone.

Your thoughts move away for a second, going back to your theory about all of this. Your suspicions are only becoming stronger with seemingly each interaction you have with the boys, and you’re becoming more and more confident in what you think they feel. You’d never put any sort of faith in said theory, nor will you get your hopes up for any of them feeling like that, but you are preparing yourself for such an outcome. It’s definitely become a real possibility of becoming true.

And it’s not an outcome that you would be particularly unhappy about.

Sid has been studying your expression while you think, eyes on the blanket, far away and distant. A frown creeping up on his face, he drops his hand on your knee.

Your eyes snap up to his, awareness coming back once more. Now frowning properly, he inclines his head just a little, a silent way of asking if you’re alright. Shaking off your thoughts and putting on a hopefully convincing smile, you give him a barely existent nod. His frown doesn’t ease up at all, but he lifts his hand to cup your cheek gently, murmuring just quiet enough to be heard,

“Soon.”

It’s a promise, a reassurance. He’s telling you that there’s not long to wait now, that you need to hold out for just a little longer, and then you’ll know. You’ll understand. You’ll be out of the dark.

Your eyes remain fixed on his, the intensity of his gaze sending molten heat pouring through your body. You manage another nod.

“Soon.”

**♡♔♡**

The rest of the day passes in a blur.

You spend equal amounts of time with the boys, doing things with them that they enjoy. You play cards with Sid, managing to beat him at poker and proceeding to have a wrestling match with him that you lose since he cheats whenever humanly possible. Then, you play hide and seek in the garden with Louis, ending up in a game of tag when you’re able to find him before he can hide, but him being a bit too fast for you to catch.

After that, you sit with Giles in his room and read for a while, with him giving you random questions every now and again. Next, you sit on your iPad with Leo, doing quizzes and general knowledge questions, which gets so competitive that he tickles you until you surrender. With everyone being too full straight after dinner, you help Alyn to make a red velvet cake which everyone has a bit later on, saying it’s delicious. He may or may not have thrown flour at you several times.

When the evening descends, you go outside with Albert to explore the woods around the mansion and within the estate, letting him show you the tallest trees and best hiding spots, as well as the odd little tunnels and monuments dotted throughout the area. Upon returning to the house, you sit in Robert’s room and watch him paint the view from his balcony, helping with little bits and pieces when he offers to show you how. You also sign your name next to his after his insistence on acknowledging your participation.

With the night-time in full swing and time ticking on, you play on the Xbox with Nico, managing to complete many different levels on Portal 2 without getting any help from walkthroughs or guides. This then evolves into some playful but still hilariously serious banter between him and Alyn. Finally, just after midnight, you sit in Byron’s room while you watch the stars, stroking Spinner and watching him take off into the sky at around half twelve. He’s nocturnal, so you know he’ll be back in the morning.

It’s about one when you start to feel sleepy, and you see that Byron looks tired as well. You are sat in his lap, basking in the quiet and the feeling of his heartbeat under your hand, for once able to do so without being picked up and carried off by one of the others. Realising that you’re both going to fall asleep, you take in a breath, then utter into his neck, “We need to go to bed. It’s getting late.”

He nods slightly, eyes lidded and gaze much softer than usual. He lets you up, and you quickly go and get changed before brushing your teeth. When you’re decent enough for bed, you wander into the big room, going in quietly. You see, when you put your flash on from your phone, that the others are all in bed already, but none of them are asleep yet. You frown slightly.

“Guys?” You whisper, tiptoeing over to the bed. “Why are you all awake? Is something wrong?”

Giles answers this, pulling his hair back from his face with a tired look. He smiles, though. “We were just talking and got a little bit carried away. Truthfully, I didn’t realise how late it is. It’s easy to lose track of time in here.”

Sid snorts, adding, “Plus, I was waiting to hear you getting murdered by Byron.”

You give him a look. “Sid.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m kidding.” He shifts where he’s lying down, propping himself up on his elbows. “Not gonna lie, I wanted to know you were okay before I went to sleep. I thought Byron might have gone back on his word and told you about the thing or something.”

You shake your head, expression turning neutral again. “No, he didn’t say anything about it. We were just sitting with Spinner and talking.”

He laughs darkly. “Boring.”

You can only sigh, but you feel the corners of your lips turning up. You climb onto the bed, seeing Nico reach a hand out to you. “Princess, will you sleep over here tonight?”

God. That innocent voice of his, even though his mind is far from it, gets you every time. You couldn’t say no to him if you tried, not when he’s looking at you with those big eyes of his. “Okay.”

You clamber over Sid, swatting his hand when he reaches out to grab you, before knee-walking to where Nico is lying down. He beams at you, taking your hand when you’re close enough and gently tugging you down to be lying next to him. You lay back, feeling him curling his arms around you and turning you around to be held against his chest, your back to him.

_Definitely, definitely not normal. I am completely and utterly going to hell. I hope I can keep myself calm, now that I know what my feelings for them all are._

He wraps his arms around your waist, resting his face against yours, before tugging the covers over you both. He hums contentedly, murmuring almost in a song, “You’re so warm and cuddly. You’re like a little teddy bear.”

Your skin immediately erupts in a blush, and you move your hair in front of your face so he can’t see it, even though it’s dark. Heart suddenly beating very quickly, you press it into the pillows, responding as calmly as possible, “Um… thank you.”

He bursts into laughter, feeling your increasing temperature and hearing the flustered tone of your voice. “You’re also adorable, Princess. What would we be and do without you?”

Your mood becomes a bit more sombre at that. Without you… well, you don’t want to glorify yourself or make it out like you’re particularly important. However, you know that they would all very likely be much worse off in terms of their mental health and happiness if you hadn’t intervened, presuming that they would have carried on in the same way and no one else would have helped.

You can only make a noise of acknowledgement, not saying anything more.

Thankfully, Albert speaks, distracting Nico’s attention from you. “I imagine you would be even more annoying than you already are if we hadn’t have met her, Nico. I, at least, am grateful for that.”

Nico lets out an offended gasp, exclaiming, “And you would be even more awkward and blunt if we hadn’t met her! I’m certainly grateful for that!”

You see Albert sit up straight in the dark, turning toward Nico even though he doesn’t have his glasses on. “Be quiet, brat.”

“You can’t make me.” Nico retorts, tightening his arms around your middle.

Albert scoffs. “Oh, really?”

Before Nico can get out his reply, the door opens. Byron’s sigh sounds as soon as he steps into the room.

“Really, you two? Arguing at this time of night?” He shakes his head, now in pyjama pants and a shirt. He makes his way over to the bed after closing the door, and you see him climb in on Albert’s right side. The said brunette moves over to give him more room, in the process putting himself maybe thirty centimetres from you. You can feel the heat coming from him under the cover. “Is everyone alright? I thought you might have all been asleep by now.”

Giles responds to this again, answering lightly, “We were talking and lost track of the time. And Sid wanted to ensure that you and ___ were alright, of course.”

You hear Sid growl from his spot in the bed. “Oh, go screw yourself, Giles.”

You have to giggle at that, enjoying the fact that you know he’s probably blushing a little and all flustered. Nico joins in behind you, nuzzling his face into your neck.      The others start to chuckle as well, and you hear Sid grumbling to himself, words muffled and annoyed.

A few minutes later, sleep has caught up to most of the boys, and one by one they drift off into unconsciousness. Nico is barely awake behind you, face now resting in the crook of your neck, breathing slowly and deeply. Your eyes are closed, expression blank, but on the inside you’re in pieces. You keep getting shivers up and down your spine from the feeling of Nico so close, and from his warm breath caressing your flesh.

“___.”

Albert’s voice pulls you out of your internal screaming, and your eyes open. You can’t see him, but you can feel him looking your way in the dark. You wonder why, since he hasn’t got his glasses on. “Yeah?”

He’s quiet for a moment. “Are you alright?”

_Huh?_

You blink, taking a second to process the question and formulate your response. “I’m fine. Why?”

He moves slightly, and you feel the bed dip a little closer to you, like he’s shifted your way. “I wanted to make sure that you are feeling better from earlier. I was just… worried.”

Almost instantly, you feel your cheeks warm, and your heartbeat picks up once again, the blatant show of concern from Albert sending your emotions mad again. Nico moves closer to you once more, slipping his arm under your neck while his other remains around your waist, hugging you tightly. He lets out a soft hum into your throat, singing out, “Aw, Al, you’re getting all sentimental. That’s cute.”

It sounds like Albert almost chokes. “Excuse me? I did not ask for your opinion, you-”

“Al.” Byron’s voice reverberates out from the side, and you feel Nico freeze against you. “Be mindful of your volume. The others are sleeping.” Nico stifles a laugh, but you hear it escape a moment later. Eyes adjusting to the dark, you see Byron sit up before looking toward you and Nico. “Nico, stop teasing him. If you are the cause of the others waking up, you will have to face the consequences.”

Nico tenses, breath catching in his throat. He says nothing, and you hear Byron make a sound of satisfaction. “Good. Now, if possible, please try to get some sleep. It’s nearly two o’clock.”

He lies down again, and a few seconds later, Nico slowly relaxes. You can almost feel his disgruntled frown next to your face, and watch as Albert lies down again, eyes now adjusting to the dark. He faces you properly this time, though, and you can see him staring at the cover just in front of you in the near pitch blackness.

A smile graces your lips. You remember that you need to thank him for worrying.

So, you reach out and gently rest your hand atop his, watching as he jumps slightly, eyes rising up to roundabouts where your face is. “What?”

Your smile widens. You give his hand a very gentle, very tender squeeze. “Thank you, for asking if I was okay and for worrying, even though I’d rather you didn't worry. Honestly, I’m fine.”

He is quiet for a few long seconds, but he doesn’t make any move to get your hand off him. Instead, he slowly shifts his own around to take your fingers and cradle them for a second. Then, he exhales, as if trying to compose himself. You wait patiently for him to do something. A few more moments pass before he clears his throat, then shifts to be slightly closer to you again. His fingers slide through your own gradually, as if to test what you’ll allow, and you simply beam at him despite the fact that he can’t see you.

Your hand rests there, fingers twined with his. He’s so warm, you notice, and you can guarantee that he’s blushing intensely from doing something that, to him, is extremely bold.

“Are you sure?” His words are quiet, but also just a bit more confident than before.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Your own murmur is gentle and kind, and you hear him breathe out a sigh of relief.

“I’m…” He trails off, then finishes almost inaudibly, “Glad.”

You can only smile, nodding, and he seems to feel the movement. He lets out another breath, and then you can make out him settling down, hand still closed around yours. You let your thumb rub over his, stroking soothingly. Mere minutes later, you hear his breathing even out and settle into a consistent rhythm, and he goes still, fingers wound through yours.

You thought Nico was asleep up until this point, but you realise that he’s not when he lets out what would sound like to most people a purr or general hum, but you know is a growl. It sends a shudder rippling down your spine, and you try not to quiver in his arms. Rather, you glance to the side, straining to see his face.

“Nico?” You whisper, keeping your voice low. “What’s wrong?”

His mouth remains stationary for a fleeting second, before he shakes his head into your neck and murmurs, “Nothing.”

Something tells you, from your newfound knowledge of the guys’ situation and what you assume is going on, that he may be a little bit annoyed at you holding Albert’s hand.

Looking up at his face, you see his eyes pointedly staring at yours and Albert’s hands where they’re joined together.

_Yep. I knew it. And I think that only gives more evidence to the theory._

When he sees you look between his eyes and your hand, he ducks his head down, burying his face in your shoulder. Sighing softly, heart aching just a little, you reach up with your free hand to run your fingers through the pale strands of hair on his head. “Nico, come on. What’s wrong?” He mumbles something into your shoulder, and it’s so muffled that you can't understand it. “What was that?”

He lifts his head slightly, allowing you to hear his somewhat hesitant answer. “I guess I’m not used to having to share you with Al. It’s just a bit weird.”

_Share me. It’s like he already considers me as his. And it’s very clear that he’s feeling jealous, or something very close to it._

Chest tightening with a mix of clashing emotions, you can only nod. He settles down behind you properly, mumbling, “I’m sorry.”

You turn your head just enough to meet his gaze, your forehead touching his ever so gently. He stares down at you, his usually lively eyes muted and almost scared in the dark. Keeping your hand in his hair, you lean up to press a feather-light kiss to his forehead, uttering, “I know. It’s okay.” Pulling back, you rest your forehead against his once more. “Let’s go to sleep, yeah?”

He nods. Within minutes, he has fallen into unconsciousness, clinging onto your waist. You continue to stroke his hair until he’s out deeply, at which point you drop your hand and curl into him, trying to find security in his embrace.

Sleep finds you quickly. The nightmares follow.

 

**♡♔♡**

 

_“Dad, where are we going? You said you’d explain when we got here.”_

_“I will in a moment. Just be quiet for me, alright? I’ll tell you everything when we’re in a safer place.”_

_A frown forms on your face. You walk alongside your father in town, him having asked you to come with him to “Show you something important.”. Although you were sceptical, you came along with him, and he has been nothing but overly mysterious all day._

_He walks with that swift calmness that’s always amazed you, not moving obviously quickly but not staying lazy or relaxed. He makes sure you’re always there with him, continuously checking up on you, eyes darting around the area._

_You have just reached the town square when everything goes to hell._

_Your father stops all of a sudden, and it’s such a rapid halt that you bump into his back before you can stop yourself._

_You go to apologise, but are stopped when he pushes your body behind his._

_Through the throngs of people walking about the square, maybe one hundred of them, you peek around his body. In the centre of the square is a fountain, which contains a statue erected to show the peace and freedom of Wysteria after its historical issues with other countries. Under this statue stand four people, all dressed in black and exuding clear danger. One sits on the fountain steps, his chin resting on his knuckles, both elbows propped up on his knees. The others stand around him, large bags at their feet._

_Inky black hair. Eyes that are grey like steel with hints of midnight blue. Tall, strong build. A stare so powerful that it cuts through your composure and leaves you trembling behind your father._

_“Dad…” Your slightly frightened whimper is almost lost among the crowd, but you know he hears you. “Who is that? Why is he staring at us?”_

_He doesn’t respond for a few seconds. Then, he pushes you back, starting to back away from the four men. “Honey, go back the way we came. We’re going, now. Come on. Don’t look at them.”_

_Although terrified, and noticing the powerful man standing up in a lazy fashion, you do as he says and turn around. He takes your hand in his, keeping his eyes on the four while you start to walk away from the fountain. Your heart starts to pound away in your chest, and you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end. “Just keep going, ___. We’re going to be alright. Just keep going, no matter wha-”_

_He doesn’t finish his sentence. The first gunshot drowns it out._

_You cry out in shock at the loud, piercing crack of a bullet being fired, whipping around. Your father has done the same, and now you see the people at the fountain standing with large assault rifles, although the lazy-moving one’s is lowered. He raises a hand, simply pointing straight at you and your father._

_“Run! Run, ___! Now!”_

_You don’t hesitate._

_You sprint away from the fountain, your father’s hand still clamped around yours. People start to scream around you, shouting and yelling in panic, pushing others to get out of the way. The gunfire starts in earnest, echoing through the night. Your body is filled with fear and dread, a sense of deep, heart-wrenching horror rising in you._

_“Dad?”_

_You turn around, needing to see that he’s okay, wanting to see that he’s got a plan and knows what to do._

_This is something you will regret for the rest of your life._

_The bullet tears through your father’s head. Blood, gore and bone crack and fly out of his skull, painting you in flesh. He falls to the ground, completely limp, and you fall with him._

_Terrified, mortified, and screaming incoherently from grief and emotional agony, you try to pull him into your arms. To save him, maybe, even though you can’t. To protect him from the frightened stampede of people, maybe, even though you’re just as vulnerable to being crushed. To stop him from taking any more bullets, even though taking one yourself would probably mean death._

_But before you can move him into your grip, your eyes snap up._

_The man with inky hair stalks toward you, gun raised._

_Just keep going._

_The man smirks._

_Just keep going, no matter wha-_

_You can’t stay. Your body makes your choice, despite the howling of your brain to remain with your almost certainly dead father._

_Your legs push you up and around. You bolt away from your father’s corpse, disappearing into the crowd that’s still trying to escape the gunfire. You push your way in between people, trying to use them to protect yourself, your mind figuring out that he won’t shoot as much if he can’t see you._

_That’s assuming he’s after you. You almost hope so. That way, less people will get hurt or die._

_After what feels like an eternity of shoving through the swathes of people, you all break out into the main street. You don’t so much as slow down, darting out into the road and narrowly avoiding running into a car. You make your way across the road, then dash into an alleyway, trying to map out the safest and quickest way out of town._

_You can feel your lungs burning. Your chest aches. Your heart screams at you. Your vision is blurred by your tears._

_Just as you enter into another alleyway, strong, solid arms fly out and catch you by the waist, almost causing you to fall under them with the force you collide with. The wind is knocked out of you, but you find the air to let out a screech of panic when you are pulled to the side, against a hard chest._

_“No! No! Let me go! Let go of me, you bastard!”_

_“___! It’s Lucian! Calm down!”_

_Your head whips around. Familiar chocolate eyes stare back, watching you with such a fiery intensity that, under normal circumstances, it would have made you shake with fear._

_“Where is the man, ___? Where did he attack?”_

_You can barely scramble your thoughts, too confused and heartbroken and distressed to even process the question. “He… I… Father, he was shot, in the head… The man, he… He killed him. Lucian, he’s dead! My dad-”_

_He cuts you off, turning you around properly and shaking you roughly. “Where, ___? Where is he? Where did he shoot him?”_

_The rage in his voice cuts through your emotions. The answer rolls from your lips, your sobs for the moment silenced. “The town square. He shot him in the square, by the independence fountain.”_

_He immediately lifts his hand to his ear, where you see a small microphone clipped to his ear. “Initial attack executed at the town square. All forces move there now. At least one suspected fatality.”_

_He sees you start to break down, sees you descend into awful, wracking sobs, eyes horrified and haunted, full to the brim with pain. He pulls you into his arms, muffling your cries with his shoulder, letting you scream and shout at him._

_You lift your head, feeling your lungs truly start to ache. Black spots dance over your vision. The last things you see are Lucian’s eyes, regretful and enraged and sorrowful._

_You collapse against him. The world falls away._

**♡♔♡**

_“Good morning, Lucian.”_

_“Good morning, ___.”_

_You walk into Lucian’s office at the ICAC at the age of sixteen and a half, having received an urgent message from him about an upcoming mission you’ve been offered. You immediately made your way to the headquarters, since it’s rare that such urgent requests are sent out to you._

_“You said there’s a job for me?” You ask upon reaching the desk, seeing your mentor and manager using his computer._

_He nods, short-cut, dark brown hair bouncing with the movement. His chocolate eyes skim across his screen for a few moments, and then he sits back, drawing in a breath. He turns to you, gaze intense. “You might want to sit down.”_

_Slightly unnerved by the extremely serious tone in his voice, you do so mutely, sitting in the chair opposite his desk. He watches you for a few moments, then swallows and speaks quietly, only saying a small portion of words._

_“We’ve found the man who killed your father. We know his identity and who he is.”_

_Your heart stops for a second. Your mind blanks._

_They’ve finally identified him. They finally know who he is. You can track him down and kill him, then put a full stop to his criminal organisation. You can save even more people than before._

_“You…” Your mind struggles to form a sentence. “Who is he?”_

_He stares into your eyes, judging your reaction, monitoring your mental state. “He’s your friends’ father, Byron and Nico; Gerald. He is the eldest living Wagner.”_

_You feel your stomach lurch._

_You were warned about this. It was only rumour, but they told you it could be him. You never expected it to be, though._

_“So… you want me to kill him.”_

_Lucian nods, completely and utterly focused and deadly serious. “Yes. As our most advanced and anonymous agent capable of a mission of this difficulty, I have the most faith in you of all of the possible candidates. We took several days deciding this, but all of the other mentors, despite your personal vendetta against Mr. Wagner, agree that they think your skill set is the most suited to this job. I would like you to do it. It is your choice, of course, but it is a kill job. He must be eliminated. The King and Queen themselves have instructed us to shoot on sight, because he is such a threat to the country. He cannot be negotiated with.”_

_You go through this for a few minutes, staring down at your hands. Leaning your elbows on your knees, you weigh up your thoughts on this._

_You want to kill him, because he killed your father and ruined a large period of your life from grief. He’s killed too many to be contained. You agree that he needs to die. You know that Byron and Nico, as well as Albert although he doesn’t outwardly say it, want him dead too. They despise what he’s done and what he is doing, what he is and wants to be. Byron’s said himself that he would kill him if he had the chance._

_But could you look him in the eye after killing his father? Could you look at Nico without feeling such shame and guilt?_

_Your teeth sink into your lower lip, chewing it for a moment. Your stomach tightens with unease, but your heart has made its decision._

_You nod. “I’ll do it.”_

_He seems relieved, although it’s subtle. He takes a piece of paper from a file next to him, then hands it to you across the table. You take it, recognising it as a form to confirm your acceptance of the mission and its conditions, and agreement to keep the details of it secret until after it, when the official report is released with its outcome. You read over the words you’ve already seen four times before, the fear you initially felt at them now nonexistent._

_When you’re done, you take the pen Lucian is holding out to you and write your signature where it’s needed, along with dates and times. Lucian looks over it when you hand it over, before then asking you to complete a second for administration. Finally, you finish both and he exhales, seeming tired and stressed. You put your arms on the table, asking gently, “Lucian, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?”_

_He stays still for a moment, staring at his computer screen. Then, he rubs his hands across his face, shaking his head. “Not exactly. I’m, well, rather worried about this job. It’s the most dangerous I’ve sent you on. There’s a good chance you could be hurt, both majorly or only slightly, or even killed. That’s the truth, and although I don’t at all doubt your abilities, Mr. Wagner is dangerous. He is unpredictable and we don’t know what all of his resources are. We could send you in thinking he has guards armed with assault rifles, and they could come out with machine guns and tanks for all we know.”_

_There’s silence for a long few seconds. You’ve always know this. You’ve come to accept it._

_“Well then,” You finally reply, giving him a smile. You reach across the table to place a hand on his forearm. “You’d better stay in contact while I'm in there, and I’ll do my very best to stay alive and unharmed. What more can we do?”_

_He stares at your hand, gaze turning thoughtful. A smile finally breaks across his lips, and he rests his own hand over yours, nodding._

_“What more can we do, indeed.”_

**♡♔♡**


	13. Part XIII | Execution, Night Terror, Troubled Heart.

**♡♔♡**

_The job is scheduled to be executed in two months. You don’t tell the boys anything at all._

_You sit in Russian in college, completing the work set out for you in silence. Byron and Albert sit across from you, the three of you clad in the only uniforms the college requires other than P.E. or Drama, these being the Prefect Uniforms. There are two outfits, which can be worn by either sex if chosen, although that’s never happened in your time in the school. You, along with the boys, were nominated and voted to be the year’s Prefects several weeks ago._

_The first version of the uniform is a white button-up shirt with a black jacket over it, with white trims down the lapels and buttons at the waist. There is also a belt there, which makes the lower waist part flare out when fastened. The skirt is similar, black with white trimmings, and you wear black thigh-high socks with the school’s compulsory black boots. Knee-high socks are also permissible, but you prefer the higher ones for warmth. There are also a pair of black gloves, which go up to the wrists, that can be worn if one wants to._

_The second version of the uniform involves the same white button-up shirt with a similar jacket, minus the belt. It has black trousers with no trims, but the boots required are the same. They also have the option to wear the same gloves if they wish, but both versions have to wear the black tie, which has the academy's crest on it._

_Byron and Albert have come to trust you immensely by this point, which is the end of year eleven, with one month left in school. You will be moving up to the first year of college in September. They have watched you defend both of them and Nico time and time again, and having witnessed your unconditional support with the others in the group. You’ve helped the three Steiners through difficult times, and they now seem to believe in you, seem to regard you as equal and as their close friends. Perhaps, even best friends. You don’t know._

_You are so caught up in your Russian, along with your thoughts of the job, that you don’t hear Albert trying to get your attention until he reaches over to touch your arm._

_Your head snaps up, eyes zeroing in on Albert’s face. He raises an eyebrow, and you blink at him, confused._

_“We were trying to talk to you.” He explains, voice dry._

_“Oh.” You wince, giving them an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”_

_Byron speaks now, his tone unusually cutting and sharp. “I need to have a word with you.”_

_Surprised by his abruptness and lack of emotion, you sit back in your chair, chest twisting. “Okay…”_

_The rest of the lesson passes in near silence, but you struggle to work properly, now worried about what’s angered Byron so much to let it show physically. You end up staring at your worksheet, although you’re already a bit ahead of the class so you’re not missing anything._

_When it ends, you gather your things and pick your bag up, watching Byron and Albert do the same. Byron speaks to Albert, the power and command in his voice as strong as steel. “Go to the others for lunch. I would speak to ___ alone.” Seeing Albert’s look of alarm, he narrows his eye, the other being covered by his hair. “That is not a request. I will come to lunch and bring her with me when I am finished speaking to her.”_

_Albert looks almost hurt at the snapped order, but after a second, he nods reluctantly. Casting a slightly guarded glance at you, then lowering his head slightly, he leaves the room._

_The rest of the class has left by now, and the Russian teacher eyes you both curiously. You cross your arms, starting to feel extremely nervous and worried. Byron waits for a moment, watching the door with a careful gaze. Maybe thirty seconds tick over, and then he nods, approaching you. “Follow me.”_

_Without another word, he sets off out of the room. You have to almost jog to catch up to him, since he walks so fast. He stalks down the corridor, muted anger rolling from him. You walk behind him through the corridors until you realise that he’s taking you to the quietest part of the school complex, where the library is. At this time of day, the corridors are all empty, with the students at lunch or in the library itself._

_He rounds the corner to a door, which leads to a supply cupboard used for science lessons. You follow him, confused._

_When you’re out of sight of the corridor, he grabs your arm hard enough to make you gasp in surprise, then shoves you against the wall._

_You stare up at him, eyes wide, whilst simultaneously ignoring the urge to get him off you and maim him. With all of your training, you know you could, but you’re stopping yourself because you don’t believe that he’s going to hurt you. You won’t._

_“Byron, what-” You go to ask, wincing when he grasps your other upper arm and tightens his grip to the point of it being painful._

_“You knew that it’s my father who’s running the criminal organisation terrorising this country. The ICAC is going to kill him, and you’ve been appointed as the overseer of the mission to do it. Why didn’t you tell me?”_

_Your pulse thunders in your ears. For a second, it’s like you’ve been winded by his words, your lungs constricting and stopping you from breathing. “Byron, I can’t…” You shake your head, clearing your thoughts and getting your breath back. “I can’t tell anyone about the jobs. I’ve sworn to secrecy. It doesn’t matter who or how relevant you are to the target. I can’t. It’s not allowed. If I could have told you, I would have.”_

_He scowls, eyes practically blazing. You feel a small stab of guilty fear probing at your chest. “Not even for me? Not even for Nico or Albert?”_

_The guilt throbs, becoming almost physically painful. Your eyes drop to the ground, unable to meet his stare any longer. “I’m sorry, Byron. I signed a contract when I accepted the job. I’m legally bound to silence, and breaking it means breaking my contract. I can’t do that. I’m so sorry.”_

_He goes still, fingers tightening again. You wince, pushing back against the wall in an automatic response to the pain, since you’re not immediately fighting back. This seems to get through to him, though, and his grip loosens instantly. You swallow thickly. “I was scared that you’d have hated me if I’d have told you, but even when I signed the contract, I still wanted to. I didn’t think it was fair to keep you in the dark. I did ask Lucian, but he told me to be completely quiet about it.”_

_You count six heartbeats._

_His hands slowly drift down your upper arms to your forearms. With a force so much gentler than before that it seems impossible, he brings you into his arms, hugging your slightly trembling body against his chest. Shocked and stunned by the unexpected action, you can only let him put his arm around your back, his other hand rising up to cradle the back of your head._

_“I apologise.” He murmurs into your hair, the words so soft and quiet that you barely hear them. “I’ve upset you. Hugging is something people do when someone else is unhappy, isn’t it?” Feeling your weak nod against his shoulder, he smoothes his hand over your hair, letting out a small sigh. “I lost my temper. It seems that my control has been slipping recently, although I have little excuse for it.”_

_You heave out a breath, glad that he’s calmed down and seen that what he did wasn’t acceptable. Fingers tightening around the lapels of his jacket, you rest your head against his chest, mumbling, “You’re forgiven. I wouldn’t have kept it from you if I had another choice. You should know that by now.”_

_In response to your head falling against his chest, he leans down to place his mouth against the crown of your head, his arm against your back sliding down to hold you closer to him. “Thank you. I will make sure to control my temper better from now, and to not lash out like this again.”_

_He stays there for a few more minutes, seemingly not bothered by having you in his arms. You pull back eventually, though, and keep your eyes on his shirt while you speak. “We should get to lunch. Albert’s going to be worried about you.”_

_He nods, seeming almost saddened by the prospect. Still, he lets you go, albeit studying your body language closely while you shift you bag over your shoulder and make sure your hair’s not messed up. You nod when you’re done, and he returns the gesture. He motions for you to go first. You tilt your head, confused once more._

_He just allows himself a tiny smile, explaining, “You were struggling to keep up with me earlier. I will match your pace.”_

_That makes more sense. Maybe he feels bad for lashing out._

_“Okay.” You give him a small smile of your own back, starting to make your way toward the cafeteria. He falls into step alongside you, doing as he says and keeping his pace in time with yours. Neither of you speak again, but you don’t need to._

_Everything that he wants to communicate is said when he brushes his fingers over yours for the first time in his life._

**♡♔♡**

_It’s time._

_The ICAC has cornered Byron’s father, and you’re going to kill him._

_Byron is here too._

_Yourself and the ICAC weren’t happy about it, but after some mild threats and the pulling of many big strings, they allowed him to go on a full-time full-speed crash course of the skills he would need to come on the job and see his father killed for good._

_The bastards are holed up in a building, most of them underground, and your team has surrounded the complex. Not even noticing the immense weight of your gear anymore, you crouch at the tree line surrounding the building, your assault rifle in your hands. Your body is covered from head to toe in protective armour and Kevlar pads, and you have a reinforced, bullet-proof helmet on that allows you to see around you with heat-sensitive equipment._

_Byron is dressed in exactly the same gear. He crouches next to you, ready and waiting for your orders._

_And you’re waiting for your own orders._

_It’s silent for a long, long time, to the point where you can see some of the younger recruits getting restless. They’re quickly scolded by the more experienced agents, but you take no notice._

_But then there’s a soft tapping sound in your ear, and Lucian’s voice comes through as a thrum in your ear._

_“You have permission to execute the operation, ___. Remember, this is an assassination and a sweep-and-clear job. You’re to go in and kill or seriously wound everyone in there. They’ve all proven themselves to be immediate threats to the population; the council has decided, in conjunction with the King and Queen’s approval of straight-out killing all those involved with this organisation, that they want them gone completely. They’ve all been predicted to have killed at least thirty or forty innocent civilians, so this is warranted and approved by our highest powers. As usual, use what you need to, protect your teammates, protect yourself and don’t take any risks. You focus on Mr. Wagner. The other agents will keep watch on Byron.”_

_He’s quiet for a moment. “You all have clearance to kill Wagner. If it comes down to it, Byron can kill him if he wants to. He has the clearance. The King and Queen have authorised it.”_

_“Understood.” Your reply is very quiet, but you see Byron’s helmet turn in your direction. He must be looking at you. “Permission to begin now?”_

_“Granted. Good luck, and God be with you, ___. Come back safe.”_

_You have to smile a little at that. “Thank you. I will.” You press the button on the control box strapped to your neck, allowing you to be hear by all the agents here. “Okay, guys. Get ready to breach and clear. You all know what to do. Any last questions, ask them now.”_

_There’s silence. You grunt. “Right. Level five agents and higher go in first. Level four agents follow behind and provide cover support. Say what you see if you think it’s important. Watch your back. We have instructions from the King and Queen themselves; we’re not taking any prisoners today. These people are dangerous and kill without remorse. They have to die, so shoot to kill. Head, chest, neck and arteries. Good luck, everyone.”_

_You take in a deep breath, calming the last of your nerves. Shifting your grip on your gun, you nod and move out of your crouch. “Let’s go.”_

_The higher level agents follow your lead, standing up but staying low as they creep out of the bushes. You keep your eyes trained on the building, waiting for your infrared vision to pick up on any signs of life in the building. You find nothing and reach the only door inside, keeping an eye on the boarded-up windows._

_Standing next to the door, you watch as your partner on the team, Dimitri, prepares to breach the door. You quietly check the handle, finding it locked. Nodding, you move back, readying yourself to fire. Dimitri aims forward at the door._

_Returning the nod, he lands a solid kick right next to the lock._

_The door flings open with a bang, but Dimitri doesn’t fire. He slowly moves inside, looking around swiftly, and you slip in behind him. There are no nerves now, the fear dulled and pushed to the side, replaced by determination and the desire to get this done. You look around the dark, empty room, barely able to see because of the darkness._

_“Torches.” Dimitri murmurs, his voice coming through your headset. You turn yours on without hesitation, and the new light allows you to see a thin, long staircase leading underground. It’s deep, and you can faintly hear shouting, along with what sounds like panicked voices. The other agents situate themselves around the staircase, getting ready for your signal._

_Crouching down next to the stairs, you pull one of your grenades from your belt, one that won’t create a huge explosion but will at least stun if not incapacitate anyone close, and damage the hearing of anyone else remotely nearby for a few minutes. Looking around the agents, you hold three fingers up, then two, then one._

_You pull the pin. A jolt of fear strikes in your heart, knowing you’re holding a live explosive. You count the ticks._

_And then you throw the grenade down the stairs hard, watching it bounce far away from the stairs at the bottom._

_“Grenade! Move!”_

_“Shit!”_

_“They’re here!”_

_“The gunpowder!”_

_The last word hits you hard._

_Gunpowder._

_You recoil back from the stairs, quickly motioning for the agents to do the same._

_They get away just as you hear the deafening explosion underground, then feel the vibration rock the ground under you for a few seconds. You keep moving back, wary of the staircase or floor collapsing, and wince when you hear the sounds of agonised screams. Blocking it out as much as you can, you lithely dance forward again, seeing that the stairs are mostly in tact._

_Wasting no time, you take a smoke grenade from your belt, watching Dimitri and two others do the same as you. On the count of three, you all pull their pins and throw them down._

_There are more shocked shouts and yells underground, and then some violent coughing from at least a few people._

_It’s now or never._

_“Move. Shoot on sight. Take no prisoners.”_

_You descend the stairs._

_This is the most dangerous part. This is the moment when you’re most likely to be killed, or something will go wrong, or you’ll walk into a trap. And leading a team, being a level seven agent, means that it will always be you out of anyone on your team that will be going in first._

_You can’t let that stop you, though. You have to stay strong for your team._

_Upon reaching the floor, you take in your surroundings in maybe two seconds, moving to the edge of the smoke’s scope. The room is moderately large, maybe thirty foot squared, and is filled with boxes that have two letters written on their fronts. “AM”, “AS”, “PI”, “SH”. Most likely, they are abbreviations for ammunition, assault rifles, pistols and shotguns. This organisation isn’t very good at being subtle, then._

_There is a large crate behind you that’s on fire, and you guess that it might have contained the gunpowder, and so exploded with your grenade. There’s a catwalk around the top half of the room, with a door on two walls, opposite each other. One side of it is hanging off, apparently having been damaged by the blast._

_Finally, there are only about fifteen people around the room, who are armed with assault rifles. Two are on the floor in front of you. You only see this because of your infrared goggles, the air still full of thick white smog created by your smoke grenade. If you didn’t have your filter on and a small trickle of oxygen coming in from the canister under your armour, you’d probably be choking right now._

_“Open fire!”_

_The sound of gunshots sound all around you at once, your team having followed close to you, right at your back at all times. You focus in on a man stood a little away from you, seeing him raise something in your direction. Aiming straight for his head, you press your trigger four times quickly, releasing four bullets. You see two of them miss him, but one finds its target in the left side of his forehead, the other sinking into his neck. He drops to the floor._

_Next._

_You see the agents spreading out, pushing the criminals back, trapping them against the crates and walls. You find your next target and take him down quickly, before he can ready his assault rifle. The smoke is clearing now, but there are already only about eight left. Your team is thorough, and swift to act. This will be over quickly._

_You see one of the younger agents reloading, and one of the criminals aims a pistol at him. You react instantly, whipping around and firing five bullets straight at his chest. You see them all hit their marks, and he is sent flying back, hitting the floor hard and remaining still afterward._

_About one more minute is spent taking down the rest of the criminals, and you think you’ve gotten about six kills yourself. The room falls silent for a second, and you whip around, looking for Wagner. You spy around for that inky hair, that powerful aura, but you find him nowhere. The bodies aren’t him. Where is he?_

_In a moment of clarity, your eyes snap up to the catwalk._

_You pull another grenade out, releasing the pin and launching into the doorway on one side. You hear Dimitri do the same afterward, on the other side._

_You crouch down, watching the agents move away from the edges of the room and lower themselves down near you. All guns are focused on the doors._

_The explosion rips through the room._

_You duck, trying to avoid being hit by the concrete and metal that is blown away from the catwalk with a shriek. The wall falls away near the door, exposing a small room integrated into the wall. Three people are blown out of the room, landing on the floor hard._

_There you are, you little son of a bitch._

_Gerald Wagner._

_Two criminals are now on the floor near him and they scramble for the pistols in their belts, disoriented from the blast. They are quickly dispatched by you and Dimitri, and then you lunge forward, toward Gerald. His head lifts, silver eyes wide._

_Your foot connects with his jaw. He flies back with a cry of pain, and you are quick to lurch after him, ripping the pistol from his belt and dragging him to his knees in front of you. You force him to look at you, lifting your other arm to press the muzzle of your gun into his temple. He growls, aiming a punch at your stomach. You block it with your knee, then land another solid kick at his ribs. You’re pretty sure you hear them crack._

_“You have committed the crimes of mass murder, treason, terrorism, acts against the King and Queen of Wysteria and are a threat to every person in this country, as well as the world. The crimes you have committed mean that you have been deemed by the King and Queen to not be subject to negotiation, nor are you to be given a trial. Your execution has been ordered and approved by the highest authority in this country. You will not be given any more chances for redemption.”_

_You hate having to say that every time. It just gives him more time to screw you over._

_You hear someone step up behind you. Your head whips around._

_You realise it’s Byron from his gear and the small, coloured tag on his chest, identifying him to you. This must be hard, seeing the man who caused him, Nico and Albert so much pain, but also the man who’s his father. You wonder what he’s doing._

_You look back to Gerald, but speak to Byron. “You have the permission to do this, if you wish. You are authorised to take the shot.”_

_He’s quiet for a moment. Then, he steps forward, lifting his gun. He aims it at his father’s head, his voice able to be heard even though the helmet because of the silence in the room. “I think I should be the one to carry the burden of doing such a thing.”_

_Gerald’s face collapses into shock. He goes completely stone-still in your grip. “Byron?”_

_Fury starts to roll from Byron, able to be felt easily with him so close. “You have no right to say my name.”_

_Gerald seems completely stunned for a few long seconds. Then, his face contorts with rage. “You really are such a traitor. You would go against your own father, the one who created you. You would choose morals over survival.” He scoffs. “Of course. This is what happens when I make the mistake of mixing my blood with that of common women.”_

_Byron trembles with fury, but he remains silent. You are very much aware of time and the risk factor here, and the fact that this is giving Wagner more and more chances to formulate a plan. “Byron, if you’re going to do it, you need to do it now. If you aren’t sure, I will do it. But you must make your choice now.”_

_Gerald laughs darkly. “Look at this. My son, being told what to do by a commoner girl. Tragic.”_

_You narrow your eyes, your grip on his throat tightening. He chokes, wincing and clawing at your armour to remove you from him. You ignore his attempts. “What’s tragic is your personality and lack of love for anyone but yourself.” You turn to Byron once more. “Byron, make your choice. It’s now or never.”_

_He isn’t shaking now, but you still sense that he’s completely enraged. He stands there for a few seconds, still pointing his gun at Gerald._

_But then he lowers it, heaving out a breath._

_“He doesn’t deserve to die by his own flesh and blood.” Byron’s voice is low, detached and livid, but he steps back anyway. “I won’t do it. I won’t give him the satisfaction.”_

_You are actually glad that he’s decided against it. You don’t want him to have to carry that for the rest of his life, the memory and knowledge that he killed his father, killed Nico’s father and Albert’s adoptive father. It’s a heavy weight to place on your own shoulders._

_“Okay.” Pressing the muzzle of your gun into Gerald’s forehead, on the right side, you aim it so that the bullet will probably hit his thalamus and maybe his brain stem, which will kill him almost certainly. Softening your voice, you look to Byron once more, prompting gently, “Look away, Byron.”_

_Gerald lets out an irritated breath, trying to taunt Byron into watching, but you take no notice. Instead, you look straight at Byron, knowing he’s staring back at you. “Byron, turn away. That’s an order.”_

_This only causes louder, more boisterous laughter from Gerald. You press you gun into his head harder, which stops his laughs short. Byron shakes slightly, probably from anger, but he turns away and moves to the back of the room._

_You’ll not postpone this any longer. You’re going to do it now._

_“Target acquired, Lucian.”_

_You meet Gerald’s gaze for a heartbeat, seeing no fear in his eyes. There’s only sadistic amusement and a disturbing calm._

_“This is for the ____ family, and for my father, and all the other people you’ve killed. Goodbye.”_

_You look away._

_You press the trigger._

_The sound of bone splitting and blood spraying onto the floor is too loud to not hear. Even the crack of the gunshot doesn’t drown it out._

_You’ve taught yourself not to look when you complete assassinations. It only gives you more horrific memories to have nightmares about._

_You let go of Gerald’s neck, stepping back. You hear his body fall to the floor, but you keep your eyes away, feeling the surge of guilt, crushing sickness and awful hollowness you always get straight after killing someone up close. It’s personal and deliberate and malicious. It’s going against the sanctity of being human. It should never come to this._

_“Target eliminated, Lucian.”_

_No one speaks for a few long minutes. You keep your eyes on the floor, breathing through the hurt._

_But your eyes dart upwards when you hear footsteps from the catwalk._

_You watch, stomach lurching. A man staggers out from the other side of the catwalk, where the wall didn’t collapse, bloodied and stumbling but alive. You quickly identify him as one of the men who was there the day your father died, one of the ones who opened fire on you both and twenty other people who were injured._

_In his hands is an assault rifle. He swings it up and aims straight at your head._

_“___!”_

_There are shouts of your name from around the room. Acting purely on instinct, you throw yourself back and to the side, thinking that you might avoid the shot. Your own rifle comes up, your finger pressing the trigger. Your heart instantly starts pounding._

_There’s a single gunshot from the catwalk._

_Numbness spreads through your chest, followed by a burning pressure slamming down on your torso. Agony bursts through you, swelling in your heart. You feel your body being thrown back with the force of the bullet hitting you._

_The pain consumes you in microseconds. A horrific shriek rips out of you, heard even over the sound of the agents firing at the man._

_You just catch sight of his body slumping over the railing of the catwalk before your legs give out underneath you._

_Before you hit the floor, arms catch you and move you onto your back on the ground. The sounds around you are muffled. Someone’s speaking, but you can’t hear their words. You can feel yourself letting out short gasps and cries of pain, body twitching and arching on the floor, unable to cope with such intense pain._

_Your vision starts to fade. Everything goes black._

_You barely hear Byron screaming your name though the dark._

**♡♔♡**

**Day 4**

Albert watches your sleeping form with worry.

It’s eleven o’clock, and he’s just woken up. Byron is already up, as are Robert, Giles, Nico and Leo, but the latter is still lying in bed. He’s on his phone, looking at something, but glances over at your prone body when you let out a soft moan.

Albert’s already wide pupils expand upon seeing this, his glasses now on, and he looks over to Leo since he has no idea what he should do. You didn’t wake him up at any point in the night, but shortly after Nico got up and was able to slip out of bed without waking you, you started to move about. Albert was already awake by this point, but hasn’t been sure what he should do.

Leo uses his phone to watch you for a moment, studying your behaviour. When he sees your body curl in on itself and hears you whimper quietly, he moves without hesitating.

He slides off the bed and swiftly makes his way around to where you are at the top, climbing back on next to you. Albert swallows thickly, trying to not let his concern seep into his voice when he speaks. “What’s wrong with her? What should I do?”

Leo seems surprised for a moment at Albert’s desire to help directly, but after a brief pause he smiles, using his phone to let them both speak to each other in the dark room. “She’s having a nightmare. She does a lot, more when she’s on her own at night. Although it’s not all the time, you see the way she’s curling up and sort of has her hands against her chest?”

Leo gestures to your body while he says this, and Albert’s cheeks tinge slightly with pink. He nods, though, seeing what Leo means. “She _usually_ does this when she has nightmares about when she got shot. You know, when she took your adoptive father out.”

Albert flinches slightly at that, pain lancing through his chest at the mention of the man. Memories flash through his mind, and he shakes them off quickly. He tries to calm the feeling of guilt he gets when he thinks that you were shot to free them all from the tyrant’s power. “I see. How do I stop it? Should she be woken up?”

Leo tilts his head, staring down at you. Another weak moan escapes you, and he quickly makes his mind up. “I’d say no. In the past, when she’s had nightmares about being shot and I’ve woken her up, it’s panicked her more than it’s helped her since it’s brought her out of the dream quickly. Now, I usually hug her or sit her on my knee, which seems to help her calm down. That would probably help her the most.”

Albert’s already present blush brightens, and he clears his throat. He wasn’t quite prepared for that, but he’s not exactly opposed to doing it. It will just feel weird, doing it in front of Leo, and when there are other people in the room.

Still, looking down at your whimpering form, his heart aches. He won’t let you keep suffering.

“So be it.” The determined murmur comes from him, his decision final.

He crosses his legs underneath him, then leans forward with a slow exhale. His arms very carefully slide under your torso and the back of your knees, gently shifting you to be resting in his arms. Tensing up enough to keep you still while he moves you, he lifts you up and brings you into his chest, setting you down in his lap sideward on.

He’s blushing furiously by this point, but it doesn’t stop him. Instead, he keeps his focus on not waking you up, settling you in his arms with your head against his shoulder. Leo moves forward to help with draping your arms over your stomach, then retrieving a fluffy cream blanket from next to the bed, before draping it over you and tucking it around your body. Albert takes a moment to get comfortable with this new, strange weight in his arms, still watching your face closely.

Your breathing has settled again, and your sounds have ceased. You are motionless against him, expression now peaceful and calm in sleep.

Leo grins. “See?” He shakes his head, laughing quietly. “Being close to people helps her a lot. She told me some time ago that she doesn’t get any sort of feeling of safety or security from anyone other than her mother, Lucian and all of us. She really does trust us.”

Albert nods gradually, eyes drifting to the starry ceiling while he speaks. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never quite seen a person quite as extraordinary as her. Her balance of stubbornness, compassion, wit, kindness and acceptance is something that never fails to amaze me. That she could fix us all and help us so much… it’s extremely impressive.”

Leo smiles softly at Albert, happy to hear his thoughts for once, and to know that he feels similarly to the way he does himself. “Yeah.” His gaze moves to you once more, like always. “She’s got so much love to give. I believe what I’ve said. I think I’m right about this, more and more each day.”

Albert sighs shakily, but he says nothing.

He stays there with you for a long time, eventually relaxing more and easing up enough to very lightly rest his face against the top of your head. He breathes in the intoxicating scent of your shampoo, eyes fluttering closed. At some point, Leo starts to read the news, and Albert asks him to read out the headlines while he sits there with you.

And then the others start to wake up, at about half eleven.

Sid is the first to come around, letting out a soft groan before flopping over, onto his stomach. He rubs his face for a few seconds, dragging back the longer strands of his hair that have come loose in the night, before lifting his head. Leo fetches one of the remotes for the lights, turning them on just enough for the room and its inhabitants to be visible.

At the sight of you, asleep in Albert’s arms, Sid all but loses it.

“The fuck?” He shouts, succeeding in making Leo jump, and Alyn bolt upright out of sleep.

“What? What happened?” Alyn slurs out, not remotely awake yet.

Leo bursts into laughter, while Albert’s face starts to turn red and he scowls deeply. Leo is the one to explain when he finds the oxygen to speak. “Sid, calm down. She was having a nightmare. He wanted to help.”

Sid lets out a long, heavy sigh of relief, falling against his pillow. “Thank fuck. Well, not really.” He sits up once more, tying his hair up again while he asks, “What was she having a nightmare about? Did she wake up?”

Leo’s smile fades. “She didn’t wake up so I’m not sure, but she was curled up and had her hands near her heart.”

Sid’s face twists a little, his intense eyes zeroing in on your face. “Shit. So she was remembering getting shot.”

Albert’s somewhat taken aback by Leo and Sid’s synchronised knowledge of your dreams and nightmares, but he supposes it makes sense. Leo has probably woken up to your nightmares a lot, since he spent a long time sleeping at your house when he was really struggling with them himself. Sid comes to your house in the morning to pick you up for college, and used to come to your house to walk to school before he got his car, so he probably saw you sleeping a lot as well.

Albert has had hardly any of this exposure. It’s all very new to him.

Leo nods at Sid’s conclusion. “Yeah. I reckon so. She settled down quickly when Albert starting holding her, though.”

Sid grunts, sitting back on one elbow while the other hand reaches out for his phone. “That's alright, then.” He glances around the boys present and awake, then sends Louis’ sleeping form a withering look. “So, what are we doing today?”

Alyn, now awake, glares at Sid. “I don’t know, but thanks for waking me up early, asshole.”

Sid gives him a sideways smirk. “You’re very welcome.”

Leo shrugs. “I don’t mind.”

Albert nods. “Neither do I.”

Sid rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “Well done giving us some direction. Amazing.”

Alyn scowls, glare intensifying. “Why don’t you suggest something, then?”

Sid turns to Alyn, smirk disappearing. “If I could have it may way, I’d take everyone out to the beach, or to some of the clubs in town. Fancy doing that?”

Alyn turns his head to the side, muttering, “The beach, fine. Clubs? No way. Too many drunk idiots.”

Sid laughs. “Exactly, sunshine.”

As they descend into yet another argument, you shift in Albert’s arms, cuddling into his chest before yawning quietly. The sound draws the attention of Albert and Leo, and Sid’s head snaps in your direction. The argument temporarily on pause, they watch you rub your eyes, then slowly open them and look up.

When you see Albert’s face above you, your body freezes. He quickly turns his head away.

“A-Albert?” You stutter out his name, surprised to find yourself in his arms upon waking up. “How come you’re holding me? Are you okay?” You blink, confusion setting in. Wasn’t Nico holding you when you fell asleep?

Albert speaks now, his face filling with blood swiftly. “You were having a nightmare when I woke up, and Leo advised me that holding you could help to calm you, so I did.”

You stop for a moment, staring up at him.

He’s never really selectively held you or had prolonged contact with you, other than yesterday. But to have you in his arms, potentially for a long time, while you sleep? That’s… significant, to say the least. You start to feel guilty, wincing when you remember what your nightmares were about.

“I’m sorry.” You murmur, starting to move out of his arms. “Here, I’ll move out of the way.”

You stop, though, when his grip on you tightens, pulling you back against his chest. You stare up at him, completely and utterly confused and now blushing lightly. He doesn’t meet your gaze as he speaks, clearing his throat beforehand. “You don’t have to move. I don’t mind.”

Okay, now you _feel_ your blush darken.

Still, very much happy and content in his arms, you nod and relax into him again. He looks away awkwardly and coughs, but he continues to cradle you in his arms, his hold ever so gentle and careful.

You keep your face pressed against his shoulder, asking while you try to calm yourself, “Did I wake anyone up?” Leo shakes his head, and you sigh in relief. “Good.”

Sid speaks now, leaning back on both elbows. His eyes never move from your face. “What was it, or were they? Did you have more than one nightmare?”

You try to remember. You had one about being shot, and your father dying, so there’s two at least. “Um… I had two. Father dying, and being shot. I guess I must be stressed.”

Leo’s face falls, and Sid frowns slightly. Albert’s expression becomes sombre, and you feel his arms tighten around you ever so slightly. Your hand instinctively comes up to your chest, your finger resting against your scar lightly. Shaking your head, you give them all a smile, ignoring the surge of unpleasant memories and emotions. “I’m fine. I’m awake now, so I’m okay.”

Sid goes to speak again, but it’s at this point that the door opens. Light streams into the room, and you press your face into Albert’s shirt, the room having been almost pitch black up until this point. His hand comes up without him even thinking about it, lightly resting on your hair, arm shielding you from the bright glare. The person at the door steps inside before closing the door again.

Byron smiles for a moment, dressed casually in the dim lighting. It quickly disappears and is replaced by guarded concern when he sees you in Albert’s arms.

“___,” He murmurs, approaching the bed. He climbs up and knee-walks across until he can kneel next to you and Albert, asking lowly, “What’s wrong?”

Albert moves his hand away, and you smile up at him. Feeling him shift to sit you more on the bed between his legs than actually in his lap, you move off him and sit in the space between the two, responding to Byron, “Nothing, I’m fine. I just had nightmares and Albert wanted to help, so he held me to calm me down until I woke up.”

His expression doesn’t change, but his eyes betray mild alarm. “What were the nightmares?”

You almost feel embarrassed saying it again, and are more hesitant to tell him since he was directly involved in one of the things. However, when you feel Sid’s intense stare from across the bed and see Leo narrow his eyes, you know there’s no point in lying or playing it off. “When father was killed, and I got shot.”

He almost completely hides the pain that sparks in his face at the last one, but you catch it and give him a smile, resting your hand atop his. “Don’t worry, honestly, I’m completely fine. It happens.”

He makes a sound of acknowledgement, turning his hand around to hold yours properly. You notice that you can smell the shampoo he uses, strong and fresh, which makes your smile widen slightly. He rubs his thumb across the tops of your fingers, asking, “Does anyone have any suggestions for what we should do today? The weather is forecast to be extremely pleasant, with the high temperature at around twenty two, so outside options are available to us.”

Sid pipes up, commenting from the side, “I suggested the beach and or going to a club. There’s my contribution.”

Byron eyes him, raising an eyebrow. “We are not going to a club. It would end in chaos.”

Sid howls with laughter, taunting, “Why’s that? Can’t handle your alcohol?”

Byron’s expression doesn’t change in the slightest. “No. I was more concerned about you getting drunk from having a shot of vodka and ending up beating the life out of someone.”

Sid throws himself up, exclaiming, “Hey, I have a damn high tolerance! Go screw yourself, Byron!”

Said Wagner just stares at him for a moment, then glances around the others. “We are not going to a club. Anyone else?”

It’s now that Louis moves, letting out a soft groan before lifting himself up from his prone position. You wonder if he’s just woken up or has been awake for a while. “As much as I hate Sid, I agree that I would like to go to the beach. I haven’t been since last year.”

He’s been awake for a while, then.

Sid snickers. “You love me and my brain, really. I’m the one with the good ideas.”

Louis doesn’t even spare him a glance, instead moving onto his knees to start crawling over to where you’re sitting. “I wasn’t aware that you had a brain.”

You have to stifle a laugh, hearing Alyn chuckling darkly from the side. Sid scowls deeply at Louis’ back, glaring daggers at him. The blond takes no notice and instead lies down in front of you, dropping his head into your lap, on your left thigh. You can only grin softly, using your free hand to stroke his hair. You see him open his eyes almost lazily, then send Sid a childishly smug smile.

Sid rolls his eyes before he shoves himself onto his knees, making his way over to you and Louis. “That’s funny. At least I’ve got enough brain to remember to share.”

With that, he throws himself down on his back, so that his body crosses over Louis’, making a strange “X” with them. Louis gasps, seeming winded, at the force Sid uses to plop down. The latter rests his head on your right thigh, then sends you a wink. “Heya, Princess.”

Byron and Leo are laughing quietly at this, while Louis looks mortified, half on his side and trapped under Sid’s larger form. “Sid, get off me! How dare you-”

“Oh, shush.” Sid interrupts him, shifting so that he’s even more on top of Louis.

There's a sigh from the end of the bed. “I say let’s go to the beach.” Alyn grumbles, sliding off the bed.

“Me too. Then I can laugh when Alyn gets loads of attention and start getting all tsundere on them.” Leo agrees, stretching his arms before getting up as well. Alyn, halfway to the door, turns around to give Leo the finger before leaving. Leo just grins, following him out.

Louis has been shoving at Sid to try to get him off him, but it doesn’t seem to be working. He squirms, seeming more and more uncomfortable by the second. You look down at Sid, flicking him on the forehead lightly. “Sid, let him up. Come on.”

Although he lets out an aggravated sigh, he does as you say and sits up. Louis bolts upright, then swiftly scoots back, away from him. He glares even more than before, to which Sid just smirks, asking, “So, we’re almost certain that we’re going to the beach?”

Byron nods slowly. “We need to ask Giles, Robert and Nico, but I would imagine they wouldn't mind. Most probably.”

Sid grins wolfishly. “This is gonna be good.”

He suddenly lurches forward, reaching out to grab you by your waist and tug you toward him. You let out a shriek of surprise when he leans down, placing his shoulder under your stomach, before he slides back and off the bed. He stands up, meaning that you are now over his shoulder. You hear Albert let out a sort of shocked sound of indignation, almost for you since you’re too busy trying to get your balance, and the others stare at Sid’s back with wide eyes.

“Let’s go, Princess. The beach awaits.” He laughs out, walking to the door with one arm locked lazily around your thighs.

“Sid, what the hell? Put me down!” You shout, slapping his back and wriggling about to try to get down. You can feel him rolling his eyes again.

“Stop freaking out. Geez.” Now in the corridor, he heads for your room, his voice turning smug. “That should teach Louis not to forget to share.”

Your hand rises up to rub your face. This again?

But as you remain there, giving up on escaping, your brain starts to roll into analysis mode. You feel almost certain that you’re right now; they’ve been using the same words over and over again, and it all points to one thing.

_Share._

_Jealous._

_Mine._

It’s improbable that these words are innocent and purely platonic, which would be both a gift and a curse if it happened. It would be a gift because it means that nothing has changed from their point of view and it’s just you who needs to watch the way you’re acting. However, it would also be a curse, because it means that you’re stuck in an awful position with no way out at all.

But then, if the words were what you think they are, a product of romantic feelings for you… you don’t know whether that would be better or worse.

“___.”

You’ve gone completely still on Sid’s back, and you realise that he’s in your room, glancing over his shoulder. He frowns. “You okay?”

You nod quickly, fighting back a blush at the suddenly inappropriate feeling you get for thinking these things. He sets you down on the floor and you give him a smile, then swiftly start to walk to the bathroom in an attempt to avoid questioning. You get about two steps closer to door when his hand shoots out, curling around your upper arm. He swings you back, catching your other arm to stop you from colliding with him, before leaning down to peer at your expression.

“Hey, seriously. What happened? Did I upset you or something?” His frown deepens. “Are you unhappy about me getting Louis back for before?”

You shake your head, internally smiling at how he immediately assumes _he’s_ the one doing wrong, when really it’s you that’s got all the problems. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. I was just thinking about something and zoned out, I guess. Sorry.”

He knows that voice. His eyes narrow, so intense and studying you so closely that you can feel your blush fighting harder to come out. “What were you thinking about? Don’t go saying it’s nothing; you know I can read you like a book. Something’s wrong. What is it?”

You’re suddenly struck with an odd sense of wanting desperately to tell him, to be honest and say that you feel like you know what’s going on. With this feeling comes the gripping fear that, if you do, he could react in so many different ways that it’s too dangerous to even risk. Running away, hating you, telling the others, acting weirdly with you… all of those thoughts are enough to make you tremble slightly.

But then, sitting here, worrying over it, having to wait for potentially another three and a half days for them to tell you when you might already know…

“I…” Your voice fades away, and you clear it, trying to bolster your courage. He nods, frown lessening slightly, as if to encourage you. Pressing your lips together, you move forward to rest your head against his chest, reaching up to hold onto his shirt. It’s easier to tell him if he’s not looking at you, if you can’t see his reaction.

“I think… I’m not certain, but I feel like I know what’s going on. I feel like I’m more and more sure of what I’ve worked out and what it means. I’m not overly confident in it, but even when I’ve tried to go with other explanations, they don’t sit right with me. My brain says no to this one idea, but my heart and my instincts say yes, and the way I’m reacting to it almost scares me. I think I’m reacting a bit too well.”

You brace yourself, squeezing your eyes shut and clinging onto him, in case this is it and he leaves.

But you should know better. Never.

“Princess, you’re shaking.”

_Oh._

“And stop worrying; I hope you realise that you just made my job a lot easier.”

_What?_

Your head snaps up, eyes meeting his. His frown is gone, instead a small, genuine smile on his face. You blink up at him, noticing that he’s right and that a steady tremor is running through your body. You hadn't even realised. “What do you mean?”

His mouth splits into a gentle grin, and he shakes his head. “Seriously, for all you’re the strongest person I know and you could kick any of our asses on a bad day, you’ve got one of the gentlest dispositions I’ve ever seen when it comes to us.”

Letting out an almost amused sigh, which sort of annoys you considering the seriousness of the situation, he moves his hands up to cup your face and press his lips to your hair. “What you just said just made this whole problem a hell of a lot easier to solve. That’s the sort of info I need to get this done and stop it being dragged out like it has been. Thank God you just said that.”

Feeling you still shaking, he curls his arms around your waist, tugging you against his chest. “Hey, seriously, it’s okay. How come you’re shaking so bad? Calm down.”

You lean into him, finding comfort in his strong hold and warmth, his familiar smell and the way you can show your weakness to him. “I just, well… I thought you might be annoyed that I’m more confident about what I think, since it’s not time for me to know yet. Or, I don’t know… I… I thought maybe me knowing might change something, or make the way we are with each other different.”

He shakes his head, sighing, but he’s smirking all the while. “Nope. I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, ‘kay?” You lift your head once more, meeting his gaze. “When we tell you, and that might be a lot sooner now you’ve just said this, whatever your reaction is will determine the way we are with you afterward. I don’t think it would have changed much regardless, but I ain’t gonna act any different with you. You’re scared about losing us, right?”

You wince, averting your eyes. His smirk widens slightly, eyes lighting up. “Well, the only way you’re gonna lose us is if you tell us to leave you alone and never talk to you again. Even if you don’t like what we’re gonna tell you, I don’t think you’d do it because we need each other so much. I’m pretty damn sure you’d put your all into making the best of the situation and moving on, so don’t worry about that.”

That lifts a small weight off your chest. Reassured by his words, you nod again, taking a last moment to press your face into his chest and hug his middle. He chuckles lowly, the sound sending a shiver up your spine. “Thanks for telling me, ___.” He snorts. “Not bad info, that.”

A sudden, almost startling laugh bursts through your lips, and you can’t help but giggle despite your earlier unease. That’s what he always says when he gets information that he likes, and particularly when he used to get juicy gossip on people in school. “Thank you, Sid. You’re welcome.”

You eventually go and have a shower, using the shower oil that’s the same scent as the bath oil the boys love. Sid told you that he’d keep your talk private for today, and then discuss it with the boys later, when he’ll hopefully bring forward the day everything will be explained or help the others to be more willing to do it. That’s the plan, anyway.

You get through getting dried and dressed quickly, putting your swimming costume on underneath some shorts and a t-shirt, your sunglasses, and your gladiators again. You then throw your kaftan in your bag with your phone, some underwear and another pair of shorts with another t-shirt. You then put in your big towel, along with a medium-sized one. One should always be prepared for the worst, especially when you’re going somewhere with water.

Done with this, you leave your bag on your bed but retrieve your phone, checking through it for anything important. Finding nothing, you pad out of your room with it, going downstairs.

Down there, you see Alyn and Leo sat on the couch, but the room is otherwise empty. You see that they’ve got small bags next to their feet on the floor, which confirms that you’re going to the beach. You smile, walking around the couch, and see them look up at you. The TV is on lowly on the news, murmuring away in the background.

“Hi.” You greet them, sitting in the space between them, since Alyn never willingly chooses for Leo to sit right next to him. He loves him really, but he’s just a bit moody. “So, we’re going to the beach?”

Leo nods, smiling gently at you. “Yeah, the others are just getting their stuff ready. Have you got yours?”

You nod back. “Yeah, my bag’s upstairs. I’ll go and get it in a minute.”

Alyn grunts, shifting in his seat, before a tiny smirk tugs at his lips. “Text Sid or Nico and make them get it for you.”

You grin, thinking that it’ll definitely be entertaining to ask Sid. “Good idea.”

You go onto Messenger and find Sid quickly, him being in your recent conversations like the boys and your group chats. You type your message swiftly, grinning all the while.

 ** _Princess Kickass:_** _Oi, can you get my bag for me? It’s in my room on the bed, I forgot to bring it down and I’m already downstairs._  

You drop your phone onto your lap when the message sends, laughing softly. You look up at the TV, peering at the headlines. “So, the UK’s getting ready to vote on the EU?”

Leo hums. “Yep. I wonder what they’ll choose.” He smirks all of a sudden, an almost childish glint appearing in his eyes. “I have a feeling Leave might win, from what I’ve heard from people over there.”

You shake your head, watching the report. “Possibly. I suppose only time will tell, and whatever happens will just have to be dealt with. It’s up to their people to decide.”

Alyn frowns slightly, muttering, “Assuming that there’s a clear majority in the vote. If it’s near enough fifty fifty, the people aren’t deciding. Half of them will just be getting lucky.”

You can only nod, remaining silent. Leo’s smile doesn’t falter. “Nothing’s perfect. The world will just have to keep its head high and deal with whatever choice they make.” He grins. “Now that we’ve sufficiently subdued the atmosphere, are you going to try going in the water, Princess?”

You can’t hold back your own grin. “Yep. I spent the entirety of last December training with Lucian, jumping into five degrees water every weekend. This will be nothing.”

He looks almost bewildered, and also mildly concerned. “That’s… impressive, albeit I’m somewhat worried about Lucian’s state of mind.”

You chuckle softly at that. “Don’t worry, it’s what’s makes him a good mentor. It was fun.” Your lips curl into a smirk. “Are you going to swim, Leo?”

He seems to pale slightly, then laughs almost nervously. “Ah... maybe.”

You turn to Alyn. “Are you going to?”

He nods. “May as well. It shouldn’t be too bad, since it’s summer.”

You have to stifle a smirk. You wonder if he knows that the ocean surrounding one edge of Stein are full of notoriously cold currents. “Good.”

Your phone vibrates in your lap, and you pick it up, reading the message.

 _ **Kickass Informant:**_ _Lazy. Yeah, I’ll get it for you, but you owe me now. How are you gonna pay me back?_  

An odd thrill of excitement shoots through you at the suggestiveness of his words, and the ideas that come to you and your rather inappropriate mind. Still, you sink your teeth into your lower lip for a moment, considering what you can do.

Leo leans over, peering at the message. He lets out a loud laugh. “What are you going to say?”

Alyn, apparently feeling nosy, moves over to read the message. You are suddenly very aware that both of them are very, very close to your face, the warmth from them both able to be felt with their proximity. Alyn’s smirk comes back. “Say something disturbing.”

You think, trying to come up with something that will take him off-guard. You decide to use your notorious power in hand-to-hand combat since that would normally be funny, but with you it’s sort of not; when you say you can kick the shit out of someone, you’re completely and utterly telling the truth, along with joking that you could… well, neutralise someone.

  _ **Princess Kickass:**_ _How does kicking the arses of five idiots of your choice sound? I might throw in an accidental broken leg and some non-donated organs if you ask nicely :D_  

You smirk now, and Leo snorts at the message. Alyn reads it before chuckling, eyes lighting up with amusement. You are hit with the observation that he looks very young and innocent when he’s laughing like this, and that seeing him in such a way is almost breathtaking. In a strange way, it’s beautiful, because it’s a rare sight to see him truly happy and relaxed enough to laugh openly.

Shaking away your thoughts, your eyes lower to the screen when your phone buzzes again.

  ** _Kickass Informant:_** _Okay, what the fuck? Don’t tell me the ICAC are training you to transplant and/or sell organs now. If you are, I’ll join just for that. They sell for a hell of a lot of money on the black market._  

You let out a howl of laughter, and Leo follows swiftly. Alyn rolls his eyes, looking somewhat disgruntled and now not amused.

It’s at this point that there’s the sound of many footsteps on the stairs. You glance over the back of the couch, seeing the others coming into the living room from the entrance. They’re all dressed lightly, mostly in t-shirts and jeans or shorts, and have bags with them. Sid comes in with yours, and he chucks it to you with a smirk.

“I’ll tell you when people are dipshits and need their asses kicking.” He jokes, smirking all the while. You catch your bag and grin, nodding.

“I’ll be waiting.” You, Alyn and Leo all stand up, and Leo catches your free hand, the other hoisting your bag over your shoulder.

“I say Princess should ride with us, since she went in Byron’s car the other day.” You see Alyn look to the side, but he nods ever so slightly. Sid’s smirk broadens while he nods, and Giles’ eyes light up with approval. Robert smiles gently, nodding as well.

“Shall we go, then? We should try to get there before the sun goes down.” Giles advises, which is met with agreements all around the room. They start to file out of the living room and into the entrance, then go outside with you, Leo and Alyn following. Leo swings your hand as you both walk, which makes you laugh softly.

When you’re all out, Byron locks the doors before doing something on his phone, then nodding to Albert and making his way to his car. Leo walks you over to Sid’s car, where you, the aforementioned two, Giles and Alyn put your bags in. Robert goes to Byron’s car, which is probably so that the numbers are evenly split again. He and Louis are quieter than the likes of Sid and Leo, so you imagine they’ll be quite comfortable in the other car.

When the bags are in, Leo opens the door and releases your hand, bowing and saying in a teasing tone, “If the Princess would like to board her carriage?”

You nod, curtsying jokingly. “Thank you very much.”

You both laugh together while you get in, moving onto the middle seat. Alyn gets in on your right, and Leo follows on your left. Giles is already in the passenger seat, with Sid driving. He waits for a few moments while the others get in, and then Byron rolls his window down and glances back at Sid. Sid does the same with his window, poking his head out.

“We’ll lead this time. I know a more secluded area on the beach that we should go to, rather than the main strip.” Byron tells Sid, to which said male nods.

“Okay. Ring me if we need to take any detours.” Byron returns the nod, and they both roll the windows back up again. Byron pulls away from the fountain, driving around it and down the drive, and Sid follows him.

Leo hums, seeing you putting your belt on. “I almost forgot to put mine on. Oops.”

Sid sends him a look in the rear view mirror, grumbling, “Put it on. I am not taking you to A&E because you didn’t and end up with your head through the windscreen.”

Leo shakes his head, but he starts to do the same. Alyn puts his on, Giles and Sid already having done theirs. “Hey, if I became a human pretzel, it would be my fault and I would acknowledge that.”

Sid’s expression flattens, but his eyes remain on the road as he turns onto what seems to be a motorway. “Are you kidding? I’m more worried about my windscreen. I don’t want to have to clean your blood out of the wipers when your head gets stuck on them and is transformed into a make-do sponge.”

You and Leo fall into chuckles at that, and Sid starts to look through the music he can play from his phone, through the car. He scrolls for a few seconds, eyes moving between the road and the dashboard, before he suddenly grins.

“Okay. Giles and Alyn are here. I’m putting Rebecca Black on repeat.”

**♡♔♡**


	14. Part XIV | The Beach, Guarded, Opportunity.

**♡♔♡**

After a hilarious bout of singing from you, Leo and Sid, which near enough drives Giles and Alyn to being homicidal, you reach the beach. It’s nice and sunny, and also quite warm now, and you see that the sand on the section you’ve come to is almost completely empty. There are some rocks around the sand and you can see a few caves here and there, while the ocean is a pleasant blue-green. You’re almost certain it’s going to be freezing.

You all spend a few minutes getting your bags after finding parking spaces, and then you make your way down to the beach. You, Leo, Nico and Sid opt to go down using the sand dunes, which results in Sid falling over and rolling the rest of the way. The others don’t seem remotely bothered, simply walking down the stairs to the sand. You drag him up and get him to the sand, where you all pick a spot to put your things, in the shadow of one of the rocks.

“Right,” You heave out after putting the last of the towels down, squinting while you look out at the sea. The sun’s glaringly bright, and you try to keep your gaze low to avoid it. “I’m doing this. I’m going in. There’s not many people even in the more populated parts, which is probably a bad thing.”

Still, you’ll get used to it. It just takes the willpower to stay until your body adjusts.

You throw off your shirt and put it in your bag, doing the same with your shorts. You take your shoes off and put them on your towel, looking around the group. Leo seems to be considering going in, Alyn is in the process of taking his shirt off, Sid’s is already off along with his jeans, Nico is in his swimming trunks, and the rest of them don’t appear to be going in any time soon.

Sid grins at you, taking his shoes off. You try not to focus on his muscular torso as he stands there, bathed in sunlight, wearing only his swimming trunks. “You coming, Princess?”

You find yourself grinning back, body tingling at the thought of both swimming and of doing so with the boys. Now that you know how you feel about them, everything about this feels a lot more exciting and different, albeit not so much so that it would make you nervous or uncomfortable. It just feels… odd. “Yep. You ready for this?”

His eyes seem to intensify even more than usual, challenge sparking in them. “Hell yeah. Are you ready for this?”

“Of course.” You turn to Nico and Alyn. “Are you two coming as well?”

Alyn grunts. “Yeah.”

Nico bobs his head up and down, putting his hands on his hips. He hums. “I bet it’s nice and warm this time of year.”

You can see that he’s lying, but he smiles at Alyn while he speaks, so you guess he’s trying to make him think it’ll be warm.

You start to walk towards the water, Nico and Alyn falling into step behind you. Sid walks alongside you, but you strategically prepare yourself to not be the first to go in. No, Alyn and Sid will be first this time. The water is quite calm, and from the condition of the sand, the tide is starting to go out. There are the odd larger waves every now and then, though. This should be interesting.

You all stop at the waterline, and you look up at Alyn with a bright smile. “Why don’t you go in first? I got chucked into the pool, so I’m not going first this time.”

He looks less confident now, but he still smiles ever so slightly. “Fine.”

He moves to get into the water. Nico darts behind him, sending you a look. You immediately jump behind Sid, then plant your hands on his back and shove him with all the force you can muster. Considering your history of training and how you’ve built up some muscle over the years, he is sent stumbling forward just as a larger wave rolls up the shore. You run back to a safe distance, seeing Alyn almost fall in face-first, as the wave nears. Nico sprints back to you, standing next to you while you both watch your evil plan get to work.

The wave crashes into both of them, coming up to their waists, and immediately you hear them both start to shout and swear. You and Nico fall about with laughter, highly entertained by their panic, seeing their shocked faces and desperate attempts to get out of the cold.

You hear the others joining in with the sadistic amusement, but the two of you quickly sober up when you see Sid start to march toward you, Alyn making an unsteady, pained beeline for Nico.

“Shit! Shit, run! Quick!” You scream, grabbing Nico’s arm and pulling him backward. He runs back to the others with you, and without even needing to say it, you both run behind Byron. He’s currently watching this whole thing go on, looking relaxed from where he’s sat on his towel, and he raises his eyebrows upon seeing you both running to him. You move behind his back, Nico doing the same next to you. “Protect us. They’ll throw us in, and it’ll be extremely unpleasant.”

Byron chuckles lowly, but he says nothing. Sid reaches the towels, glaring down at you, dripping wet from the waist down. “You little shits. Come here.”

Nico watches him nervously. “No thanks. We’ll wait for a little while.”

Sid narrows his eyes. Alyn stalks over, clearly fuming but also hilariously freezing cold. “Nico, I swear to God, I’m going to throw you in that water. Get up.”

Byron turns to you both, a smile tugging at his lips. “You did both say you were going to go in the water. It’s only fair.”

You wince, hoping that Sid won’t pick you up and just toss you in, since that could actually end very badly. Still, your conscience gets the better of you and you stand up, raising your hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll go in. Right up to my neck, I promise, just don’t throw me in. I don’t want to get cramp and die.”

He seems slightly irritated, probably because he’s not going to get his revenge, but he doesn’t say no. You slowly edge out from behind Byron, inching to the side, towards the water around the others. He watches you with a hawk-like stare, eyes never moving from your face.

As soon as you are out of the way of the others, he lunges at you.

“Shit! No! Fuck!” You screech, making a run for the water.

You quickly lose all your confidence, thinking that heading straight into cold water, not submerging yourself slowly, might kill you. Or, at least, be very painful.

Too late.

You pretty much launch yourself into the water, just after a wave rolls up the shore. Your legs and waist are submerged in two seconds, and then you drop the rest of your body up to your neck in afterward. The biting cold seeps through your bones straight away, and it takes all of your willpower not to tense up and panic from the overwhelming cold. Your chest tightens slightly, contracting in response to the sudden drop of temperature.

_Wait a second._

Your limbs are quickly numbing themselves, their nerve endings rendered useless for now, but this isn’t half as bad as when Lucian gave you an ‘encouraging push’ into a recently frozen lake in Wysteria. That was awful and you got sick after it because of how cold you were, but this is nothing compared to that. This is uncomfortable, but nowhere near unbearable.

You huff and straighten up, still able to touch the sand and keep your head, neck and shoulders out of the water. The wind chills your skin rapidly, the water on it cooling harshly, and you crouch down once more. You check behind you for any waves, seeing none, and glance back to the shore. The others are watching you, it seems, and Sid is stood at the water’s edge with a smirk.

“Are you kidding me?” You shout, bringing your hands up in a nonchalant way. “This is not that bad! You’re such babies!”

Sid seems genuinely shocked. You roll your eyes, although on the inside you’re singing and dancing at the fact that you’ve had so much more preparation to help you deal with this, before standing up. You ignore the wind, which now feels agonisingly icy, and approach Sid. Alyn is stood a little bit back from him, scowling deeply.

“Oh, come on. You’ll get used to it.” You encourage them, stepping up to Sid. “Seriously, once you get used to it, it’s not that bad. You just go numb after about twenty seconds.” You look around Sid to Alyn, holding your hand out to him. “Hey, give it a go. You’ve done half of it, just get the rest of you in and you’ll be fine.”

He looks like he’s shivering a bit, and he lets out a breath while he eyes the water. Still, he comes over after a brief moment, diverting his gaze with a very light blush in his cheeks. He slips his hand into yours, and you give him a smile, tugging him toward the water again. Seeing Sid not moving, you offer him your free hand. “Come on, Sid. You can do it.”

He frowns, and you get the feeling he’s feeling a bit disgruntled about your lack of reaction. He takes your hand, though, and you gently guide him toward the water. “The best way to do it is to just blast it and go quickly, rather than dragging it out. Let’s run for it, okay?”

Alyn’s scowl deepens. “That sounds more painful.”

You shrug, making a face. “It depends. It hurts more at first, but it gets it over with quickly. If you do it slowly, there’s more time for you to give up, and makes it feel more prolonged. I prefer to just go for it.”

He sighs. “Whatever you say, Princess.”

You get ready to drag them in, standing at the waterline again. “Ready?” They both nod. “One, two, three!”

You lurch forward, wincing when the cold consumes your feet and ankles. They come with you but slow upon being submerged to their calves, at which point you tighten their grip on their hands and force them forward again. When the water reaches your waist, you drop yourself in, the ice sensation spreading through your torso. You pull down on their hands, making them go in with you.

“Fuck me!” Sid hisses, his hand almost crushing yours under the water. You see him gritting his teeth at the cold, swearing under his breath. Alyn is as well, although more quietly. His eyes jerk to your face, and he scowls deeply once more.

“I thought you said it would be nice.” He snaps, sounding very aggravated and almost betrayed.

You fail to stifle a giggle, quickly getting used to cold, feeling your skin becoming numb again. “I lied. To be fair, it’s not actually that cold in here. It could be a lot worse.”

He goes to speak, but he stops short when Sid suddenly jumps toward you, screaming loudly and clutching your hand. He throws himself away from where he was stood, staring down at the water with wide eyes. “I swear to fucking God, that was a jellyfish! Screw that, I am not getting stung today!”

You burst into laughter, amused by his fear of being stung. You’ve been stung before and it was quite painful, but you’re not particularly worried about it. You’d rather not have seaweed touching you, though. You don’t like seaweed. “Calm down, you’ll be fine. Want me to carry you around so you won’t get stung?”

He looks almost bewildered at the idea, before he scoffs, retorting, “You think you could lift me?”

You smirk. He underestimates your muscle mass.

You let go of both his and Alyn’s hands, then reach down to hook your arms under his knees. Before he has a chance to react and stop you, you shift your weight like Lucian taught you to, locking your knees. He’s pretty damn tall so this is quite difficult, but you know you can do it; Lucian made you pick two of the guys up in the ICAC, and they were both 6”3’ of considerable muscle mass.

Your free arm catches him under his back, and although the water doesn’t help your balance, you are able to stand there with Sid in your arms, bridal style.

“You were saying?”

He looks stuck between being extremely impressed, confused, stunned and afraid, and is holding onto your shoulders to keep himself still. “What the actual fuck? I’m 6”2’. How the hell are you doing that?”

You wink up at him, playing it off. “That's for me to know and you to not know.”

You glance at Alyn, seeing him staring at Sid’s suspended body with obvious shock. Grinning, you turn to the others when you hear Nico and Leo hooting, and you see them clapping. You can just make out Byron grinning, while the rest of them are clapping, granted Albert just seems stunned.

But suddenly Nico and Leo stop, instead pointing behind you. Your head whips around.

There’s a huge wave rolling right toward the three of you.

“Shit!” You curse, dropping Sid back onto his feet. He lands unsteadily, and you quickly grab both his and Alyn’s wrists before dragging them towards the wave. “Swim! Quick, into the wave!”

They don’t question you, instead diving forward to swim straight at the wave. You kick hard and swim in the front crawl, as do the boys. The wave starts to curl just as you get over its crest, but only a bit of water manages to splash on your face, and then your body surfs up and down the back of the wave.

Sid and Alyn follow, Sid shaking the water from his face. His eyes are wide when he looks at you. “Okay, I’ll complain about that wave in a sec. Seriously, how did you do that?”

You reach up to wipe the water from your forehead, only succeeding in making it more damp. You eye the ocean, suspecting that more waves are going to come and deciding that it’s not wise to just sit here chatting while they do. “Let’s go back for a few minutes, and then I’ll consider telling you.”

They both seem all too glad to do that. You swiftly turn around and swim back to the shore, succeeding in almost being pushed over together when another wave crashes into your legs. You manage to grab their arms and keep them on their feet, then trudge up to the towels, chest heaving from exertion.

You plop down on your towel, not caring about it getting wet; it’s only going on your bag, and the one you’ve got is a beach bag so you’re all good. Now that you’re out, the wind feels worse on your skin and you shiver a little. Sitting up, you take the smaller towel from your bag and dab at your skin, ridding it of the cursed droplets that are conducting the cold.

Sid does the same on his towel, muttering under his breath about water being a pain in his arse. Alyn has wrapped another towel around his shoulders and is glaring heatedly at Leo, who is trying to dry his hair a bit for him, grinning all the while.

It’s now that Byron speaks, watching you dry off with a smile. “I’m quite impressed. I’ve never seen anyone lift Sid up before, no less in that style of carry.”

Sid glances up at this, narrowing his eyes. They hone in on your face swiftly. “Yeah, no one ever has. How’d you do it?”

You shrug, telling him the truth. “I learned to be able to. It was possible, so it was just a matter of using physics and logic to allow me to do it.” Seeing his flat expression, you grin softly, shaking your head. “ICAC magic. Don’t ask.”

“Princess,” Giles says gently. You look at him, raising your eyebrows, smile still beaming and strong. He returns it, expression beautifully kind. “Have you put any sun cream on? You don’t want to burn, especially if you’re going to go in the water again. The sun is rather strong today.”

You forgot about that. You wince. “No, I actually forgot about that.”

He nods, not seeming annoyed as you’d expect. “I understand. Here, I have some that you can use.”

He pulls a bottle of SPF 50 sun cream out, handing it to you. You take it with a grateful smile. “Thank you. Have you already put some on?”

He nods, not moving his gaze from you even as you start to put some cream on your arms. “Yes, I did it while you were in the water. Speaking of which, you seemed rather unaffected by it. Is it not as cold as these two are making out?”

Sid turns to glare at Giles, while Alyn glowers at him from the side. You snort. “Well, to me it doesn’t feel bad at all, but I think I can put that down to the training I did with Lucian a while ago. It’s probably about five degrees, which is quite chilly.”

Giles pauses for a moment, then speaks slowly. “I’m not sure whether should be proud or concerned by how calmly you say that.”

Your grin turns smug, and you start to put the cream on your face and neck, having finished your arms. “Be proud; if anyone ever chucks me into a pool with sub-zero water in it, I’ll be okay for a few minutes while I get myself out, then kill whoever did it.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Only you would use that as a positive for such training.”

You just join him in laughing, moving on to do your chest, then starting on your legs and feet. You see the others doing their own things, with Louis and Byron staring out at the ocean, Albert seemingly assessing you putting the cream on, Leo gazing up at sky, Robert taking in all of the scenery, and Nico pointedly watching Alyn with a smugly amused expression, the latter having lain down with his towel over his chest, still shivering slightly. Finally, Sid has pulled out some sun cream from his own bag and starts to rub it over his skin.

You finish your legs and feet, at which point Giles holds his hand out, offering, “Would you like me to help with your back?”

A strong bolt of adrenaline rushes with through you, the whole situation flooding back to your mind and causing a much more hormone-driven reaction to spark. Still, you know you’ll miss spots doing it yourself, so you hand it over with a nod. “Yes, please. Thank you.”

He nods back, and you turn around so you’re facing away from him, legs crossed under you. There’s a beat of silence before you feel the cream touch the nape of your neck, the sudden dab of cold making you shiver a bit. You hear Giles laugh softly, but he says nothing, instead starting to rub the cream into your skin. Your heart starts to beat faster and faster, thoughts completely centred on his soothing touch, massaging your flesh with the utmost care and tenderness. Your eyes drift closed of their own accord, body relaxing against his hand.

He briefly lifts up the strap of your costume, around the back of your neck, to make sure he can rub the cream in. When he does, his finger runs across a spot in the centre of your nape, and when it does, it’s like all of your muscles tense up at once, spotted bursts of what feels like pleasure erupting from the one spot. You manage to cover up most of the trembling by shifting, but you’re almost certain he sees your shoulder shaking.

_Oh dear._

You resist the urge to moan, half from pleasure at the still-there tingles appearing in your neck, and half from how difficult it is to remain calm when they touch you now.

_So this is what it’s like to be in love._

You bring your knees up to your chest, feeling a twinge of vulnerability at the thought.

“___?” You are pulled out of your inner torment at the sound of your name, and your eyes open slowly, head turning to look at Giles. He grins majestically at the slightly out-of-it expression on your face. “Would you like me to put some on your lower back as well, so that it will be protected if it’s exposed?”

You don’t know if you can take much more of this. Still, you’d rather suffer emotionally than burn physically, so you nod once more. He returns the gesture, and you lift up the bottom of your tankini’s top half, revealing your lower back. You hear him move, and you quickly sense that he’s now much closer to you. You shiver again when he dabs the cream on, but your relaxation returns when he rubs it in again. You rest your cheek on your knee, closing your eyes and trying to control your body’s reactions.

For a few blissfully painful seconds, you bask in his warming touch and gentle movements.

But when your eyes drift open and you look around, you find Leo’s eyes centred on your face. He doesn’t move his gaze upon seeing you look at him. Rather, he smiles softly, watching you with adoration. Although this isn’t unusual for Leo, this feels… different. It feels a lot more intense and serious, and the depth of his gaze sends another bolt of adrenaline shooting through you.

Worried that you’re going to end up blushing again, you give him a smile back, then press your face into your knees.

_Leo knows something. He’s always been able to see through me._

You wonder if it’s obvious that something’s changed with you, and if your behaviour has changed enough to be noticeable. A pang of unease twists in you at the thought.

_I can’t hide anything from him._

You sigh inwardly, mental and emotional strain tearing at your mind. Giles finishes with the cream and you put your top back down with a thank you, trying to distract yourself by deciding what you’re going to do.

But it’s hard to distract yourself when you know you’re being watched. It becomes even harder when you see that Sid is staring at you, too.

_I’ll just have to do my best to hide it from the others, until the time comes for everything to be said._

**♡♔♡**

You spend a good hour or so running in and out of the water with the guys, with Sid, Nico and Alyn coming in the most. Leo finally manages to get himself in, but he quickly claims that he’s freezing his toes off and needs time to warm up again.

You are in the water with Sid and Alyn, only up to your waist, when Leo jogs over to the waterline. “Could you guys come here for a sec?” He calls over.

You all go over, albeit after you splash some water in Sid’s face playfully and receive a mouthful of seawater in return. Leo grins, asking, “Does anyone want anything to eat? Giles and Robert, as well as Nico, are going to get food from the chip van up top. They’ll have things like burgers and hot dogs.”

Sid nods, smirking widely. “Hell yeah. I’ll have a hamburger. Tell them I’ll pay them back later.”

Alyn grunts, answering, “I’m starving. I’ll have a hot dog.”

Leo hums, nodding. Your head bobs up and down. “Yeah, I think I’ll get some chips. I’ll give them the money when we get back.” Leo seems to be about to protest against that, so you give him a warning look. “I’ll rephrase; I’ll give them the money when we get back, and if anyone tries to stop me, I’ll transfer money for everyone’s food over and stop them from sending it back.”

He looks like he understands that you’re serious. “Okay. I’ll tell them. We’ll call you over when it’s done.”

He gives a small wave that you return, then turns around and jogs back to the others.

Almost immediately, Sid clamps a hand over your mouth, yanking you back and against his chest. You squeak in surprise, feeling his solid, now cool chest against your back. “You, Princess, need to stop trying to do everything your goddamn self. We already discussed this. We’re trying to get you to relax, and to do that we don’t want you worrying about things like money.”

You squirm, shoving his hand off and spinning around to face him. “And we already discussed that if this is one-sided like you guys are making it, then it’s not happening. I already told you, I’ll do what I want. Sue me.”

Alyn sighs in aggravation. “You never make things simple, do you?”

You shake your head, a smirk dancing on your lips. “Nope.”

You start to walk out further into the water, planning to do a bit more swimming before the food arrives. Before you can, though, you feel Sid’s arms slide under you and sweep you off the floor, drawing a shout of alarm from you. His own smirk widens into a malicious grin. “Hey, Alyn. As much as I hate you, I think we can agree that she’s being a little unreasonable. I reckon throwing her about a bit might make her reconsider.”

You expect Alyn to say no.

He doesn’t.

Instead, a smirk of his own appears. You blanch, while at the same time he nods and holds his arms out. Your heart starts to beat harder at the sight of both of their smirks, and of the thought of being tossed between them. “I hate you, too, but I definitely think some persuasion is needed here.”

“Wait, wait, don’t you dar- aah!”

Your words are cut off by your shriek of panic, as Sid pulls back, then moves forward enough to throw your body out of his arms and into Alyn’s. The latter catches you, swinging around a bit to cope with the momentum of the throw effectively, before he rotates back again and launches you up once more. You fly into Sid’s arms, a sound that’s somewhere in the middle of screaming and laughing bursting out of you.

Sid howls with laughter in response, and you can see Alyn grinning almost childishly while he nods. Sid chucks you back to him, and while you had been worried about hurting them or being dropped, all of that vanishes now. You land safely in his arms, face flushed but eyes blazing with life.

“We should make this a thing, or maybe a training workout.” Sid comments, catching you when Alyn throws you over. He tosses you up and then catches you again, revelling in your exhilarated scream. Alyn snorts.

“What, catch the princess?” He rolls his eyes, but he’s still grinning, something that you’ve only seen a few times when he’s been around Sid and talking to him directly. “And you lose if you drop her?”

Sid grins back, throwing you to Alyn. You’re almost dizzy now, from being moved so quickly and suddenly, but you love this.

You probably wouldn’t admit it to them, but things like this are so much fun to you, your feelings and earlier revelation completely aside. Even just platonically, this builds bonds and strength between you all. It makes you happy and you enjoy them doing things like this, even though so many people would see it as wrong or disgusting.

Some would call you a whore or a slut for wanting attention from them. You don’t agree with it at all. You want to spend time with them because they’re your best friends, and you don’t think this is in any way, shape or form suggestive of something or inappropriate.

Why is this not acceptable? Why can’t people see that this is, like so many of the other things you do with the boys, innocent?

“Yep. We should make Nico and Louis play it. They’d both lose right off the bat.” Sid’s words bring your attention back to the real world, and Alyn chuckles lowly.

“For once, I think you might be right.” He agrees, tossing you over to Sid again. Said male pauses for a moment, looking down at you. You’re breathless from laughing so much, but you’re beaming away, still filled with happiness and contentment.

“You okay, Princess? Have you reconsidered what you said?” He questions, tightening his grip on your thighs. You manage to shake your head.

“I’m not reconsidering.” You respond, crossing your arms defiantly. His eyes twinkle evilly.

“So be it.” He looks to Alyn. “Oi. I’m gonna three-sixty her. You ready?”

Alyn looks confused for a second, and then he huffs, reading himself. “Fine. Just don’t miss.”

Sid glances at you, looking you straight in the eye. “No promises.”

A shot of thrilled fear explodes in your chest. “You-”

Without giving you any time to stop him, he starts to spin around where he stands, making you shriek again and start to think that he might genuinely drop you. “Ready, Alyn?”

“Go ahead.”

He does maybe three more rotations, the movement making your head whirl. When he’s in the right place to throw you, he grunts lowly, then chucks you up and out of his arms. Unable to see because everything is still spinning, you cry out in panic, expecting to hit the water.

You don’t though; you land very much safely, granted a bit harder this time, in Alyn’s waiting arms, feeling him swing you around in a single circle to deal with the momentum once more. You cling onto his shoulders, squeezing your eyes shut when your vision tips. “Good shot.” You hear Alyn mutter.

Sid snickers to your side. “Thanks.” He must be looking at you, because he goes on to ask, “___, you alright?”

You nod slightly, practically feeling the fluid in your head swishing around. “Yeah. Really dizzy, but I'm fine.” You slowly open your eyes, seeing the world swaying around you but not as badly as before. You glower at Sid. “Screw you. That scared the shit out of me.”

Sid just lets out another bout of laughter, not looking remotely remorseful. You shake your head before patting Alyn on the shoulder, telling him, “You can put me down now. No more throwing.”

You see his smirk return, albeit smaller than before, but he slowly puts you down anyway. You wince at the feeling of the water chilling your bones again, your balance not quite righted yet. Alyn feels this and keeps hold of your upper arm, waiting for you to steady yourself. “You’re not gonna fall over, are you? I am not giving you CPR if you face plant the water and drown.”

You glare up at him, giving him a swift flick on his forehead and watching him reel back in surprise. “You’re the one who was throwing me around, so it’d be half your fault! And I’m not going to fall over, thank you very much!” You cast your glare to Sid for a moment, grumbling, “Rude.”

He just winks, a devilish grin on his lips. “Don’t worry, Princess; I’ll gladly give you CPR if you need it.”

Your cheeks heat up rapidly at that, and you try to ignore the way your heart starts to pound at the suggestiveness of the comment, along with the way it sends your emotions off the rails again. You roll your eyes to cover this up, but turn back to the shore when you hear Leo shouting your names. You see that they’ve got the food and are starting to eat, so you check behind you for any waves before heaving out a breath.

“Come on. Food’s here.” You sigh out, starting to wade through the water back to the shore. You can practically feel Sid’s smugness rolling from him behind you, but you pay no notice and simply head back to the others.

When you get there, you drop down on your towel and lie back, taking a moment to rest. Picking up your smaller towel, you dry off your legs, arms, chest and neck, sighing in relief when the breeze doesn’t feel as sharp and biting now the water’s gone.

“___,” You hear Leo say, and you see him passing you a tub of chips with a plastic fork. You smile and take it, only realising how hungry you are now you’ve got food.

“Thank you.” He just gives you a dazzling smile, digging into his own chips. You start to eat your own, sighing joyously at how nice they taste, and the fact they’re not horrifically greasy.

“So,” Giles start, sounding amused. “Did you all have fun?”

You glare at Sid again, shoving a chip in your mouth. He takes a bite of his hamburger, narrowing his eyes at you and smirking. Alyn just nods, steadily working his way through his hot dog.

Sid swallows the food in his mouth before replying, sounding proud, “We had lots of fun. We were trying persuade Princess over there into letting us pay for food, but she’s stubborn.”

You keep your eyes on your chips, expression flat, while you retort dryly, “And I was trying to persuade Rapunzel over there into letting me pay for my own food, but he’s even more stubborn than I am.”

Leo almost chokes on his chips, bursting into laughter at your nickname for Sid. Byron and Albert look to you almost perfectly in sync, and you meet their intense stares with an equally heated one. “Don’t start. I’m assuming Leo told you what I asked him to before.”

Byron nods. “Yes, he did. And I will raise the point again that I plan on taking care of the financial aspect of this holiday. You need not worry about it yourself; I will pay for everyone’s needs while they are here, as I _was_ going to do in the restaurant. Nico, Albert and myself are completely capable of and are going to take care of any costs, and it is no trouble at all for us to do so.”

Albert nudges his glasses up, adding bluntly, “It is not something anyone other than us three should be thinking about. It was one of the very first proposals when the holiday was first thought up.”

Nico joins in now. “To be completely honest, we’re the most financially stable out of all of us, because of all the companies we run that used to belong to father. It’s not going to be an issue at all, even if we were to pay for every single thing that anyone bought, over these whole three months or longer.”

“I understand that.” You respond evenly. “But it’s not just a matter of who _can_ pay for things. I want to pay for my own stuff. I have money and am more than happy to do that.”

Sid cuts Alyn a look. “We’re gonna have to chuck her around until she changes her mind. You up for it?”

Alyn nods silently, taking a bite of his hot dog. You roll your eyes. “You can’t throw me around; I’ll just stay out of the water, and I’m eating, as well.”

Sid raises an eyebrow. “You think that’s gonna stop us?”

Just the way he says “us” sends a shiver rolling down your spine, but when you see the strong stare he’s watching you with, and the way Alyn is mirroring this, a very odd, very unnerving sensation of excitement and heat flushes through you. You quickly move your eyes to the water.

“No,” You breathe out, smiling inwardly. “But five years of ICAC training will.”

**♡♔♡**

You were right.

Two hours later, Sid is sprawled out next to you on your towel, groaning and holding his shoulder. Alyn is sat with Leo, who looks more amused than anything, while the brunette rubs the back of his head. They have repeatedly tried to drag you into the water again, and you didn’t want to since you’ve been playing frisbee with Nico and Albert, watching Robert sketching and talking with the others.

So, you chopped Sid on one of the nerves in his shoulder, then pressed Alyn’s spot on the back of his head until he couldn't move and was reduced to a frustrated mess, with his face, quite literally, in the sand.

You raise your eyebrows at Sid’s twitching form. “Nice try.”

He mutters something into the towel that you can’t understand, and you just shake your head in response. You lift your eyes to the sun, seeing it descending on the horizon above the ocean. It’s probably not that late at all, maybe half four since you all left quite late this morning, but with the location of the region, the sunsets are quite early sometimes.

You turn around to drop your legs across his back sideward on, to which he groans and goes to swat you on the head. You catch his wrist and restrain it, feeling him go still under you after a moment.

A breeze flows around you all, and you close your eyes for a moment, thinking it to feel nice on your skin. You open them quickly, however, when you hear Nico mutter, “Geez, how come it’s gotten so cold so quickly? I know the sun’s going down, but the wind wasn’t this bad before.”

Looking around, you see that Leo also looks a bit chilled, and Alyn has his towel around his shoulders again. You blink, wondering if you’ve got much thicker skin than them or something, since you don’t think it’s cold at all.

“It seems that the temperature is set to drop quite swiftly from five onward. That tends to be the case in summer; the days are warm, but the evenings can be rather cold, especially from forecasts I’ve seen for Stein.” Giles comments from the side. Byron looks around the group, taking in several of the boys looking a bit cold, before suggesting,

“Perhaps we should consider going home. It will take those who have been in the water time to get changed regardless.” There’s a collective nod from the boys. Your head drifts up and down, eyes fixed on the ocean.

Your thoughts are whirling away from the present again, culminating around the secret and your suspicions. Sid’s teasing earlier has sparked a storm of new thoughts and feelings, and you are more desperate than ever to know. Playing in the water and on the sand with them, and then just being able to talk and be relaxed around them, has all felt so much different because of what you feel about them all. It’s been difficult to not think about the more complex and intricate side of this, so your mind is very far away at the minute.

However, you glance down at Sid when he starts to push himself up, and you remove your legs from his back to let him sit up. He squints at the bright sunlight. “Should we go and get changed, then?”

Byron nods. “Yes. Perhaps try to wash as much of the sand from you as possible in the water, and then get changed.”

“Alright.” Sid looks down at you. From the way he’s narrowing his eyes, you’re pretty sure he knows you’re thinking about the whole thing again. “You coming?”

You nod, heaving yourself onto your feet. “Yeah.”

You hold your hand out to him, pulling him up when he takes it. You go to pull your hand away, suddenly very aware of your very out-of-control emotions, but he keeps hold of it tightly. You glance up at him in confusion, seeing him staring out toward the ocean. Without a word, he starts to tug you to the water. You hear murmurs from behind you, probably the boys wondering what he’s doing.

“Sid?” Your voice is soft and quiet. He just shakes his head, a small but strong smirk dancing on his lips. Looking behind you, you see Alyn, Leo and Nico coming over with you both, since they’ve been in the water as well. You look forward once more, fingers tightening around Sid’s hand unconsciously. He squeezes them gently.

You wince upon stepping into the water again, but you let him pull you further in, until you’re submerged up to your chest and he up to his abdomen. At this point he stops, moving so that he’s facing you with his back to the other three.

“You alright?” He asks, peering at your expression closely. You nod again.

“Yeah. I’m just… distracted. It’s sort of hard to forget about the whole thing.” You push a smile onto your face, knowing you’re being awfully annoying and weak about this. “I’m fine. Sorry.”

He rolls his eyes, then releases your hand to bring his up and cup your cheek. “Stop apologising. You’re bound to be distracted; this whole thing’s pretty damn difficult to ignore.”

The others have caught up to you both now, and they approach with mixed expressions. Leo looks concerned, Alyn guarded but careful, and Nico seems to be almost wistful. Leo speaks first. “Is something wrong, ___?”

You shake your head, trying to make your smile more convincing. “No, I’m okay. I was just zoning out, but I’m fine, thank you.” He doesn’t look at all like he believes you. You move out from Sid’s hand, changing the subject. “Come on. We need to get the sand off us so we can get dry and out of the cold.”

Turning so they’re to your right side, you start to splash water on your arms and neck, ignoring the unpleasant icy sensation absorbing into your limbs. You briefly splash some water on your face, taking care not to get any in your eyes, before then doing the same with the rest of your body. The others are doing the same in your peripheral vision, but you can see them watching you periodically, probably worried by your odd behaviour.

When you’re done, you stand up straight, feeling a little bit colder now that you’re wet again. You absently take in the scenery, with the sun ready to kiss the expanse of the ocean on the horizon, and the sky starting to blend into a darker indigo amongst the fire. The rocks and mountains on the coasts are lit up by the glare of the sun, whilst others are mere silhouettes, unable to be seen in detail from the shadows cast on them.

_I wonder if this is the last time I’ll see this beach._

You almost feel like someone has punched you in the chest at the thought.

You are thankfully stopped from going any further into your dark musings, as Leo steps up next to you and very gently slides his fingers through yours. Your head whips around to him, and he smiles tenderly, rubbing the pad of his thumb against yours. “Ready to go?”

Glad that he’s not further questioning you, you nod silently, giving his hand a light squeeze. He returns it, then starts to walk back to the shore with you, being careful of any oncoming waves. You reach the sand without a problem, then retrieve your bags and towels before heading towards the toilets, which also act as make-do changing rooms. Leo gives you another smile and squeezes your hand again, then heads into one of the toilets.

You go into one yourself, stripping your costume off and drying yourself as much as possible. When this is done, you put your clean underwear on, followed by your shirt and shorts. Wrapping the costume up in your towel, you put it in the bag, then try to neaten your hair up.

Finally done, you step out of the toilet, seeing the other doors still closed. You walk back on your own, savouring the feeling of the sand shifting under your feet. Sid, Nico and Leo aren’t there when you get back, but the others look over upon seeing you approach.

“All done?” Giles asks. You smile, watching him pat the space in front of him on his towel. You sit down on it, reaching over to get your gladiators from where your towel was, and start to put them on. He produces a hairbrush from his bag, tutting with a small grin. “Really, look at your hair. Haven’t you got a brush with you?”

You feel your own lips stretching into a grin at the teasing tone of his voice, your earlier worries and tension swiftly melting away. “Yeah, I’m just lazy.”

He rolls his eyes with a sigh, but you know he’s not actually annoyed; he just acts that way since he’s like the overseeing mentor of the group. “Well, I commend you for your honesty, at the very least. Turn around and I’ll brush it for you.”

You do as he says, swivelling around and scooting back so that he can reach you easily. You continue to put your gladiators on, then cross your legs when you’re done, feeling him run the brush through your hair carefully. He holds the strands so as to not cause any pain if there are tats, moving through it efficiently but still gently. He finishes just as Nico, Leo and Sid get back, letting out another, more amused sigh.

“There,” He breathes out approvingly. “Now it will dry more quickly.”

You let out a soft laugh at his thoughtfulness, grinning at him over your shoulder. “Thank you.”

He just nods, putting his brush back. The others have gathered their things and start to get up, so you throw your bag over your shoulder and do the same. You tug Giles up after offering him your hand, and you see Byron doing a head-count. With everyone accounted for, he makes a sound of satisfaction, starting to walk toward the stairs to the car park.

He, Albert and Nico fall into their line together, you follow with Giles on your right and Robert on your left, and then Leo and Alyn come behind you with Sid and Louis at the back. You turn to Robert. “Did you finish your sketch?”

He nods. “Yes, I did. I will add some colour and details at home, but most of it is finished. I just have yet to bring life to it.”

You smile at him, happy for the light conversation and distraction. “That’s good. Can I wa-”

You are just about to ask if you can watch when you hear voices to your upper left, at the top of the stairs. You glance up, seeing a group of teenage boys coming down the stairs. One of them snorts, pointing at you. Another makes a face, while a third one gives you a look that makes you feel sick. As they walk past you all, now all on the stairs, you hear some of their comments.

“Little whore. Nine guys? She must be pretty fucking special for them to keep her around.”

“She probably just does whatever they tell her just to be kept around.”

“Makes me want a go at her. She’d probably beg for a piece of this.”

Oh, _God_ , the rage is blinding.

It floods your whole body, setting your muscles and veins on fire, scorching through you. Everything in you says to go and beat the shit out of them and make them see how arrogant they are. You want to scream at them how disgusting they are as humans, and tell them that they’re a waste of oxygen.

Despite all that, you remember how your father always said to not rise to people like them, and instead to ignore their existence. Let the world get them back for being complete arseholes.

But while you are containing your fury, you aren’t focusing on the boys.

It’s only when you hear Sid’s disturbingly calm, yet simultaneously livid voice, that you break out of your makeshift control. “I dare you to speak another word about her. I fucking dare you.”

_Shit-_

“Giles, Robert, take her to the cars and wait there. I’ll deal with Sid and those... children.” Byron is quick to respond to the situation, spinning around on his heels. Albert and Nico fall in behind him instantly, their expressions showing clear disgust and anger. Worried that they’re going to get into trouble or get hurt, you start to go after them. Giles and Robert stop you, however, instead taking you with them up the stairs by your arms.

“Wait, they can’t just- what if Sid does something? He should’ve just ignored them-” You protest, reaching the top of the stairs. The two keep going until you all reach the cars, where they move behind the vehicles and stop. Leo and Louis round the back of the car, coming to stand near you. Alyn doesn’t join them. You can’t see him in the car park.

“We know he should have ignored them. However, Sid, although usually quite level-headed and not one to just jump into fights anymore, will not tolerate someone making such disgusting comments toward you. I don’t blame him, nor can I say that I didn’t want to silence those fools myself.” Giles answers your objection coolly, but you can hear the rage in his voice, very well hidden but not unnoticeable to you. Leo shakes his head, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“You okay?” He asks, looking very pissed off himself. You nod, albeit somewhat weakly.

You’re that used to dipshitty comments, you just ignore them and move on now, not giving those who deliver them any satisfaction. You’re more worried about the others, namely Sid, because you are fully aware of how protective he is of you. He has, in the past, quite literally near enough beaten someone to death for speaking badly of you, and you don’t want a repeat of that, definitely not here is anywhere at all.

“Yeah.” Your voice shakes a bit with concern and your ebbing fury. You cross your arms, a nervous habit of yours, and also one you’ve developed when stressed.

Leo sees this and his expression softens, some of the anger vanishing from his eyes. He pulls you against him, burying your face in his chest and smoothing a hand over your hair. You concentrate entirely on him, on his arms around you, his scent, now tinted with sea salt, his warmth, anything and everything at all, in an attempt to rid yourself of your remaining rage.

He presses his lips to against your hair, sighing out, “People like that suck. Don’t listen to them, ___. They’re just narrow-minded and don’t understand a thing outside of social norms. You are not any of the things they just said.”

You can only heave out a breath, fighting back the urge to simultaneously kill someone and cry. You just keep your face in his chest, trying to breathe deeply and suppress your body’s desires to hurt those bastards.

It takes a few minutes for the others to return, but when they come up the stairs, you hear them and jerk back from Leo immediately. You run around the car, seeing all of those who went, looking unharmed although still for the most part angry. Sid looks furious, and Byron is speaking to him lowly at his side, while Albert and Nico look more controlled. Alyn appears to be more frustrated than anything.

Your heart feels like it explodes with relief. You’ve only felt something that powerful a few times in your life when it hasn’t been the death of your father, and those occasions were always with the boys.

_Oh, God, they’re safe. They’re okay._

“Are you all okay? Is everyone alright?” You ask, the question forming without you even thinking about it. Nico bounds over and engulfs you in a hug, and you gladly return it, painfully relieved to feel him safe and untouched in your arms.

“We’re fine, Princess, we promise. Are you?” He pulls back to cup your face in his hands, peering at your expression worriedly. You nod quickly.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He lets out a heavy sigh, and at this point Byron reaches you. Nico draws back, allowing Byron to gently take hold of your upper arms.

“I apologise. You shouldn’t have had to hear that, nor should they have been so disrespectful.” You manage a smile, just wanting to forget about it and for them all to calm down completely.

“It’s not your fault, Byron. Idiots are idiots; I can handle it.” He searches your face for a few heartbeats, then finally seems to make a decision and lets go of your arms.

Before he can even say anything, Sid has curled his arms around your back, crushing you against his chest. “Fucking morons. You okay? I know they’ve all asked, but are you really okay?”

You look up at him, nodding firmly and keeping your voice steady. “I’m okay. They’re dipshits, they’re gone now, let’s just move on. Yeah?”

He takes in a long, deep breath. He nods, but you can still feel the rage pulsating out from him, and can see a fine tremor running through him.

It’s not often that he completely loses his cool like this, and sometimes when people have said things that you’d rather not repeat, he’s been able to stay completely calm and verbally destroy them. Now, though… he’s reacting badly. There have only been a few occasions wherein you’ve seen him truly enraged like this, and only one of those times was because of someone saying something to you.

And that would be explained by your suspicions, if they’re correct.

You all make quick work of putting your things in the cars, and then you go to get in the backseat. Leo catches your arm, though, and pulls you to the side for a moment while the others start to get in. You can see Giles waiting next to the passenger side door. “I just wanted to see if you think it’d help Sid to have you in the passenger seat. He usually calms down better when you’re around him.”

You had considered this, but you weren’t sure if Giles would mind. “Probably. If he gets angrier, I’l be able to calm him down quicker and easier. Would Giles be okay with it?”

He lets out a soft laugh despite the circumstances. “Of course he would. Thanks, ___.”

You smile back and briefly squeeze his hand, then jog over to the passenger side door. Giles nods knowingly, then opens the door and gives a shallow bow. “Your Highness.”

_Oh, Giles._

He’s trying to lighten your mood and that of the others, as to take away from the seriousness of the whole situation. You could hug the hell out of him in this moment, but you force yourself to not and instead jump onto the seat. “Thank you, kind sir.”

He grins gently, then closes the door before getting in the middle seats, in the centre one so he can keep Leo and Alyn separated. You put your belt on, then glance at Sid, who is eyeing the rear-view mirror with a slight scowl. “Sid,” You utter, tone feather-light and ever so quiet. “It’s okay. Let’s go home.”

He releases a seething huff, but he finally looks away from the mirror. He rolls your window down while Byron calls over to follow him home, then puts it back up and pulls out of the parking space. He drives after Byron’s car, keeping his eyes on the road.

But once you all get onto the motorway and there’s virtually no cars around, he takes his left hand off the wheel, reaching across the console to take yours and clutch it like his last thread of life.

This is how you know he’s completely furious. He wouldn’t normally do something like that, definitely not while driving, and definitely not when Leo, Alyn and Giles can all see it. It means he’s desperate for you to help him to control himself and keep him calm, to shake off the monster that’s trying to rip its way out of him.

So you hold his hand just as tightly, ignoring how painful his grip is, waiting for his shaking to cease.

The three in the back don’t speak a single word.

You don’t know whether that’s a good or a bad thing, but you hope desperately for it to be good.

You don’t want any more pain today.

 

**♡♔♡**

Upon arriving back at the house, everyone goes to their rooms. Barely a sentence is spoken between you all.

You guess everyone will be having showers or baths since you’ve all probably got sand all over you, and you at least want to make sure it’s all gone. You’ll probably find sand somewhere tomorrow morning and then in a week just because sand is a nuisance like that, but you want to be clean at least.

So, you have a quick shower, throwing on a long-sleeved top with some leggings. You dry your hair swiftly but as neatly as possible, then swipe your phone, heading downstairs.

It’s empty in the living room, but you guess you’re better off just leaving them all to it. You sit on the couch and put the TV on, turning over to the news. You pull your knees into your chest absently, wrapping your arms around them and gazing up at the screen. The world is going mad as usual, with dreary, discomforting stories filling the headlines, and little to boost your faith in humanity. Sighing softly, you lie down on the couch since no one else is here, listening to the financial part of the hourly news. You’re not particularly interested, but there’s nothing specific you can think of that you’d like to watch.

You lie there for a while, making simple sense of the technical jargon the presenter spews at the camera. That is, until there are footsteps at the door. Not two seconds later, Robert appears in front of you, smiling down at your prone form. You can smell fresh soap and shampoo, all sweet, fruity scents, and see that he’s wearing a forest green shirt with black pyjama pants, but he’s got his boots on as well.

You go to sit up, but he places a gentle hand on your shoulder to stop you, instead perching next to you on the couch.

“I see you’ve had a shower.” He observes with a kind, gentle smile, taking a lock of your hair between his fingers. He toys with the hair for a second while you nod, breathing in quietly. “Have you used that oil again?” When you nod once more, he chuckles to himself. “It smells lovely.”

Normally, you’d blush at that, but with the circumstances you’re sort of too emotionally weighed down to be able to. “Thank you. Are you okay?”

He hums, releasing the hair and leaning back a bit. You sit up, and he doesn’t move to stop you. “Yes, I am fine. Thank you.”

His expression becomes sombre, eyes showing just a hint of remorse and what looks like guilt. He reaches up to brush his fingers across your cheek, then hold it with a feather-light touch. “What those boys said earlier was absolutely despicable. I cannot convey how sorry I am, that you had to go through having that said to you. They were truly horrible to say such sickening things.”

You smile weakly again, taking his hand on your cheek and giving it a delicate squeeze. “You needn’t apologise, Robert. I don’t know what the others did, but I trust that they took care of them appropriately. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me, right?”

He raises his eyebrows, looking sceptical. You have to laugh breathily, not quite believing in the rhyme yourself. “Well, they do, but it’s just one of those things. The saying’s good in theory, at least. I probably won’t think about it again once I’ve slept, so don’t worry about it.”

He raises your hand to his mouth, pressing a light kiss to the top of it. Your pulse speeds up immediately, insides fluttering pleasantly. “You are so strong, ___, and so mature. It amazes me and makes me so proud, to see that you have become such a beautiful, refined, independent person in so many different ways. You are truly befitting of the title of a princess.”

You could cry at the sincerity in his voice, and the love and adoration in his words. You find yourself beaming at him, heart soaring with joy and pride. After everything that’s happened, you feel for the moment like something genuinely good has come of today, that being Robert openly praising you and showing you how he cares.

“Thank you so much, Robert. It makes me just as proud, to see how kind and mature you’ve become, and to see how you have such a good heart.” Your smile widens, eyes lighting up for the first time since earlier. “And it amazes me even more to see how an already extremely talented person like you has improved and worked so hard to achieve what you have.”

His lips break into a breathtaking smile. “Thank you, ___. It means the world to me, to hear you say that.”

You beam back at him, but your attention is drawn to the door when you hear footsteps. You turn to it, and you see Giles poke his head into the corridor, seeing your face around the side of the couch. He comes in, raising an eyebrow with a smile at Robert holding your hand, wearing pyjama pants and boots as well, with a deep maroon jacket covering his torso. You wonder if he’s feeling chilly, and why both of them have boots on at this time of night.

Your attention is pulled back to reality as he speaks. “Is everything alright?”

You nod, watching Robert stand up and move to the right side of the couch, still holding your hand. He tugs you toward him, so you scoot into the seat next to him, and Giles sits down on your other side. “We’re fine. Are you okay?”

He returns the nod, taking a moment to watch the headlines on the TV. Sighing quietly, he shakes his head. “The world truly has gone mad.”

That makes you chuckle, pulling your knees up to your chest again while keeping hold of Robert’s hand. Robert responds thoughtfully, gaze drifting to the TV. “I think it’s always been a mad world. It’s just that these days, we see all of the madness every day.”

There’s a collective laugh from you all at that, and you go on to watch the news stories, chatting every now and again about it. Otherwise, the quiet is comfortable and not awkward, with Robert absently playing with your fingers and the atmosphere calm.

The others eventually filter in after a while, your assumption that they’d have showers being correct. You watch Sid carefully when he comes in. He looks like he’s not angry anymore, or at least as if he’s managed to cool himself off and contain it, although he’s not smirking like he normally does. You guess that he probably won’t fully forget about it until tomorrow.

When everyone arrives, with Byron and Albert being the last, they sit down and seem to inspect the group. On your couch, the four-seater one, you, Robert and Giles are in the same places, with Louis now on the leftmost side. On the three-seater couch are Leo, Byron and Albert, while Alyn and Nico are on the two-seater couch with Sid in the armchair. The others look relaxed for the most part, even though the atmosphere still feels somewhat tense.

“Just saying, I think we should watch a film.” Leo breaks the almost-silence after a few seconds, eyeing the Harry Potter DVDs under the TV.

“I agree.” Giles responds approvingly. You see him glance at the Great Gatsby DVD before he notices you watching, and he gives you a playful grin. You nod.

“I agree.” Byron seems pleased with the incentive for a decision to be made, and his eyes roll around the room. “Does anyone object to this?”

No one does.

And so begins a twenty-minute long democratic-but-not-actually-democratic vote on which film to watch. Many different ideas get thrown around, but there seems to be particular interest in Harry Potter, “2012”, “Sharknado” and “Titanic”.

You just spend the whole twenty minutes laughing with Robert and Giles, finding the banter between Albert and Nico, then the semi-duel between Nico and Alyn, completely hilarious. You end up, clutching your stomach with your free hand, painfully relieved to be smiling and not worrying about everything that’s gone on, even just for a little bit.

Eventually, “2012” is chosen and Nico puts it on. You get comfy, leaning into Robert’s side, his hand having never released yours once. He smiles at this, briefly touching his forehead to your hair.

You focus solely on the film and on the comfort you feel from Robert’s closeness, and from Giles, when he gently takes your free hand and slips his own around it.

They’re all staying quiet about everything, after all.

And tonight, Sid said he would tell them what you told him earlier. 

And so, your waiting game has begun once more.

**♡♔♡**

Two and a half hours later, the film comes to an end. Feeling sleepy because of Robert and Giles’ warmth and gentle touches, you pull your phone out, checking the time.

21:58

Huh. It took you all quite a while to have showers and things, but you hadn’t realised how fast time would fly. You hadn’t realised it’s this late already.

Sid needs to talk to the guys, and he can’t exactly do it with you there. Wanting to give them some peace and quiet to have their discussion, you squeeze Robert and Giles’ hands, then slips yours out. “I think I might get an early night tonight. I should probably not be sleeping in until twelve every day.” You glance at Sid, seeing him already watching you knowingly. You give him a subtle nod, to which he smirks just a bit, a tiny spark of the usual fire in his eyes coming back.

Good. He’s going through with it.

You stand up, looking to Byron. “Do you mind if I go to bed, then? Sorry, I’m a bit tired. It must be from all the swimming.”

He shakes his head. “Of course. We should be up in a little while, but don’t wait for us. Focus on getting some sleep.”

You smile gratefully, stepping around the couch and heading for the door. You look back over your shoulder, sending a very brief look of encouragement to Sid, before you give them all a wave. “Okay. Goodnight, then.”

There’s a chorus of them saying it back to you, and the harmonious sound sends your heart fluttering. Leo and Nico wave back to you, while the rest smile or grin. You laugh softly, swinging yourself out of the living room, then through the corridor into the entrance. You bounce up the stairs, heading straight for your room.

Almost immediately, your smile disappears, nervousness and worry twisting in your stomach. You automatically start getting  ready for bed, going through the motions while your thoughts sprint away.

_I don’t know how they’ll react to what Sid tells them. It could be good, and they could be happy about it, or they’ll be unhappy and end up fighting or something along those lines. There’s more of a chance of them rejecting Sid’s request to tell me sooner, maybe even tomorrow or something, but they might consider it if they know that I’m reacting well myself to my suspicions._

You frown.

_But what if everything goes to hell and I lose them tonight? What if I wake up tomorrow and one of them’s gone?_

Your feel physically sick at the thought for a few heartbeats. Taking in a long, deep breath, you force yourself to calm down and carry on with brushing your teeth.

_I won’t lose them. Sid said so himself; they’ll only leave if I order them away. That’s not something I’m going to do, not a chance. I just need to trust in Sid to persuade them and argue the point properly, and hope that the others will listen to him. But then again, considering the fact that he’s already been so furious today, he probably won’t be able to keep his cool and they might not take him as seriously?_

Finishing brushing your teeth, you splash some water over your face, taking a few precious, silent seconds to get your emotions to settle.

_But even though this is all seeming awful and I’m making myself expect the worst… I feel like I’m right. When I think through everything logically, and take into account the emotional factor of this, it all points towards me being right. I trust my judgement, and my knowledge of them as people. I feel like I am on the right lines and like I do have confidence in my theory._

You push away from the sink and dry your skin, then go out to your balcony. Leaning over the railing, you close your eyes and bask in the gentle caress of the night-time wind ruffling your hair, feeling it to be chilly, but somehow that helps. It distracts you from your inner turmoil.

_I should just go to bed, and see what awaits me when I wake up._

Heaving out a sigh, you go back inside, shutting and locking the balcony doors. You make your way into the big room with your phone in your hand, seeing that it’s empty when you find a remote for the lights and turn them on. Hopping into the space in the middle of the bed, where the fluffy blanket from the first day is, you slide under it and pull over one of the pillows. Propping your head up on it, you tuck your phone underneath, proceeding to turn the lights off again.

You count your heartbeats, trying not to listen for them talking while at he same time straining to hear something. There’s nothing. You can only hear your own, soft breathing, and the sound of your periodic movements. You’re tired, yet completely awake. You don’t know whether you’re going to be able to sleep.

It feels very odd, and actually quite horrible, to not have them here. You’ve gotten so used to having them with you of a night-time that it’s awfully strange to know you’re here alone, while they’re all downstairs. It’s pathetic and unlike you, but you miss them already. With the weight of the situation pressing down on you, you want to be with them. You want comfort and reassurance that they’ll be alright, want them to tell you that it’s all over and that everything’s okay.

Your eyes shut. A shaky breath rattles out of you.

“Do you think she’s asleep yet?”

_Huh?_

You identify Leo’s voice at the door instantly, hearing it being opened slowly. Your eyes remain shut, since you don’t want them to think you’re awake and have to postpone their talk if it’s still going on. Almost-silent footsteps approach the bed, and then it dips a bit behind you. Giles’ strong, sharp scent enters your senses, and a burst of joy clashes with a snap of concern in your chest.

_Are they okay? Have they already finished, somehow? Why is he here?_

Careful, tender fingers brush your hair back, away from your face. The touch almost makes your shiver, but you manage to hold it back, instead pretending to sigh softly in sleep. His smooth skin strokes your cheek ever so gently. When he speaks, his voice is hushed and barely audible, but it’s also very close to your ear. You can feel his quiet breaths wafting over your ear. “Princess? Are you awake?”

You’re assuming that they want you to be asleep, and that they’ll “wake you up” if they need you conscious. So, you fight back the automatic urge to reply and remain still, breathing steadily, expression blank.

It’s at this point that the bed dips on your other side, in front of you. Robert’s flowery, airy smell mixes with Giles’, creating an intoxicating blend that you know and love so much. You feel his hand reach under your jaw, fingers just about making contact with your pulse point. You’re sure he hears the skip as your heart jumps in surprise, but he doesn’t say anything. He waits for a few long seconds, listening, feeling, watching.

“She’s falling asleep.” He utters. His own voice is hushed and soothing, almost melodic and lulling. He withdraws his hand before you feel it settle on your hair, stroking it slowly. “Sove. Vi er her, prinsesse.”

_Sleep. We are here, Princess._

Giles is still smoothing his fingers across your cheeks, the motion repetitive and calming. Your mind is succumbing to their touches. Your thoughts start to blur away, becoming hazy. Your body curls in like you always do if you’re sleeping on your own, muscles relaxing.

It takes maybe another thirty seconds of them whispering and murmuring to you, easing you into sleep with their care and affection. You slip away, falling into a dreamless dark.

**♡♔♡**


	15. Part XV | Final | Confrontation. Confession. Choice.

**♡♔♡**

You wake up again, and you know you haven’t been asleep for long.

Two seconds later, you understand why.

“Are you kidding me? You think I’d lie about this? She stood there in my arms and told me that. She couldn’t look me in the eye while she said it! How would it even help if I lied?”

_Sid._

“I am not calling you a liar, Sid. I just don’t want to act rashly because of one thing she’s said-”

_Byron…_

“No, you want to wait as long as possible because you’re afraid of something going wrong and you want to put it off for as long as possible, and that’s okay for you, right? You’ve known how you’ve felt for, what, a year and a half now? A year and nine months max?”

There’s a bitter, almost pained laugh from Sid. Your heart aches.

“Try two and a half goddamn years, Byron, and another half a year of not understanding why I wanted to kick your ass every time you went near her!”

_Oh my God… this is it. I shouldn’t be hearing this._

“Sid, she is going to wake up. Lower your voice.” Byron’s own voice becomes louder and booms through the house, raw with open frustration.

“You’re the one who walked out here, trying to run away like you usually do. Feeling cornered? Run for it. Think you’ve done something horrifically wrong and like there aren’t any easy ways out? Just pretend it didn’t happen. Don’t want to face something that might hurt you?” Sid’s tone becomes infuriated. “Always running away. It’s the story of your life, Byron. As much as you’re usually calm and can keep a lid on it, when things go bad like this, you just won’t pluck up the courage to deal with it.”

“Enough!”

Your heart thunders in your chest. You’ve never heard that much fury in Byron’s voice before.

“Both of you, be quiet! You’re going to wake her up! If that happens, this is all over. Forget everything you’re talking about, she’s going to catch on pretty quickly if she hears all of this!” Alyn’s desperate voice sounds after this quickly, anger evident in it. You hear Sid let out a mirthless laugh, retorting,

“For the love of God. She practically knows. You all claim to treat her fairly and equally, but you seem to think that she’s not smart enough to understand what she’s seen. Only two days in and a few occasions of us being stupid, and she was onto it. Three days, she knew something was going on with us and had basically sussed out the reason we’re being like this, even though she doesn’t know that herself! I seem to be the only one who’ll look her in the eye and acknowledge that she can work these things out on her own, and she has. I’m pretty sure she’s certain about it now.”

Your breath catches in your throat.

_So… I’m right._

You don’t know what happens in your brain in the next few seconds, but your body acts before your mind has time to even process what you’ve just heard.

You throw yourself up and off the bed, taking a moment to steady yourself when your head spins. You run to the door, swinging it open. You squint at the light from the hallway, then make your way to the door in front of the stairs. You’re not stopping. Your instincts are taking over, and they say to end this now, before someone gets hurt. There’s no going back after everything you’ve just listened to.

There’s a pause in their conversation.

“Shit.” You hear Alyn curse.

You can just about hear Louis’ voice, closer, apparently at the top of the stairs. “No… she must have woken up.”

You almost want to bawl your eyes out at the agony in his voice.

You reach the door and throw it open.

The boys are scattered about before you. Louis, Giles and Robert are stood at the top of the stairs like you thought, looking equally distressed. Leo is halfway up the stairs, with Alyn on the bottom step. Byron and Sid are near the front door in the entrance, visible from where you are. Albert and Nico are flanking Byron, very serious and very tense.

For a few seconds, none of them speak.

They’re never going to be able to compromise on this. You can’t stand to see them like this. You won’t. This is _your_ group. As much as all of them have helped to put it together and keep it together, as much as Giles and Robert were vital to initially making it become a real thing, you created it. You went to them all. You brought them in and helped them. You made the change and pushed forward with it.

You established this group and, while it belongs to them, it is yours.

And you will not have them destroying everything you’ve worked for. Not like this. Not this way.

You don’t even look at Giles, Robert or Louis, instead making a beeline straight for Byron and Sid. Giles reaches out to catch your arm on the way, but you lightly deflect his hand, not faltering in your pace. Louis moves back from you, almost like he’s afraid, but you don’t even stop to apologise. You continue forward, face set in determination, steps steady and strong.

Descending the stairs, you observe Leo watching you with a pained, almost guilty expression, but he moves back and out of your way. He knows not to try and stop you.

Breezing forward, not letting them see any weakness from you despite how much this hurts, you reach the bottom. Alyn manages to fasten his fingers around your arm when you walk past him, but you swiftly twist out of his grip and keep moving forward.

“I’ve had enough.” Your voice is deathly serious, your military self coming out to play now that your patience has reached its limit. “This is going to destroy the group. You might not all be ready to tell me, you might be scared, and I am fully aware of that. However,”

You stop in front of Byron and Sid, hardening your stare. “This is my group. I brought us all together and I’ve worked too hard, have done too much, to get us to this point. I will not sit here and listen to you all screaming at each other and being unable to discuss this civilly. I was asleep up until a few minutes ago, but I heard enough. There’s no point in hiding now. I’m sorting this out tonight.”

Your mind makes a split-second decision.

Your hues settle on Sid.

He hasn’t moved his own from your face once. “You said a long time ago, when we almost lost you, that you’d do anything for me. You said you’d help me whenever I need it and do whatever you have to in order to make me happy because I promised to do the same for you. Correct?”

He nods, a very tiny hint of a smirk showing on his lips through his rage. “Correct.”

You nod back.

“Then I want you to tell me exactly what’s going on. Right now.”

There’s an audible gasp throughout the room. What almost sounds like a choked sob comes from Louis behind you.

Sid’s eyes narrow, and Byron steps toward you, power and an almost threatening aura exuding from him like smoke. “___, that’s not fair of you to decide. We’re not ready.”

Your head whips around to him, and you find yourself angry enough to glare at him, snapping, “Oh? It’s not, is it?” You take a step of your own closer, not remotely bothered by how tall and imposing he is. You’re too enraged, too sick of this whole thing, to even care.

“I’ll tell you this right now, Byron. From what I’ve heard, and from the way you’ve all been, I doubt that this is going to be resolved if I don’t force Sid to do this now. Are you telling me that, when the week time limit has ended, you’ll just let Sid tell me, or you’ll tell me yourself or one of you will? Are you saying that you think it’s better to wait, to let me sit and put the last pieces together and wait for you to tell me something I already know, while the relationships between you all start to break down like I’ve seen them doing while I’ve been here?”

You scowl at him, and a little bit of his anger seems to ebb away. You know you’re right. “Exactly.”

You shake your head. “Quite frankly, I don’t think that’s fair at all. I don’t think it’s fair to choose to wait, to possibly cause more damage, from the way things are already going, just for the sake of putting something I can already work out myself. Sid had a point before. I am smart enough to work this stuff out. I already think I know what’s going on, and I’ll be damned if I have to sit here and watch the people that I love the most in the world hurt each other for the sake of another three days.”

You breathe heavily, visibly shaking. Your body is trembling from all your emotions, but you feel strong. It’s like the composure you have when on ICAC jobs has finally found a way to stabilise itself when it comes to the guys. About bloody time.

Your eyes return to Sid. You hold your hand out to him. “Sid, I want you to tell me. I can almost guarantee that I’m right, and that there’s no point in you all waiting any longer. Please, I’d like you to tell me.”

You don’t expect the huge grin that rips across his mouth.

“Sure thing, Princess. I’m done waiting.” He turns to Byron. “You can tell me to get my ass home. You can tell me never to come within ten miles of you. That's fine. But she’s one thousand percent right, and I ain’t going to hide this from her anymore. I won’t be that cruel.”

His grin disappears. His fingers ghost up to take your forearm, bringing it up. You blink with confusion.

“But I’m not a liar. I told you that this is what I’d do, remember?” Byron’s already aggravated expression flattens. Sid nods. “I told you that, if she asked me to tell her, I would, because that would be the point when she would think that she needs to intervene, and I would agree with her all the way. That’s why she’s going to be told today. We can’t do this ourselves. You agreed to that when we finished the plan.”

There’s that little smile back again. “But,” He almost laughs out, sounding exasperated. “I’m not a complete asshole. I promised that I’d trust you to tell her, because the others wanted for you to be the one to do it. I promised that I’d trust in you telling her as it is, even though I would be happy to do it myself.”

Sid’s hand curls under your own, offering it to Byron. “So here’s your chance. Either you tell her, or I do.”

The room falls silent. The tension is almost suffocating.

Byron and Sid’s eyes lock with each other, staring with intensities so strong it’s almost unnerving. They stay like that, unmoving, unspeaking, unreadable, for what feels like an eternity. You heart hammers inside you.

And then Byron finally breaks the silence. “I will do it.”

Without another word, he slips his fingers under yours, cradling them with an amazing gentleness considering his fury. He doesn’t even look at Sid again, instead wordlessly escorting you toward the stairs. You look to Sid, seeing him nod. The gesture reassures you a bit, just enough for you to turn back around and close your fingers around Byron’s. He doesn’t outwardly react, although you’re certain that his do the same.

“I will do this the way we discussed and agreed. I will return shortly.” He murmurs, just loud enough for Giles and Robert to hear. They nod, watching you worriedly, as Byron takes you into the hall and out of their sight.

Your heart is beating so fast it’s almost knocking the breath out of you. A tiny, tiny part of you is worried that he’s going to completely turn on you, another bigger part is screaming that he must hate you now, and another part is just miserably glad that this is where it all ends.

He pulls you to your room, which sort of confuses you, but you don’t question it. Going inside, he locks the door behind you both. Tugging you further into the room, he stops in the centre, staring out the windows on either side of the doors to the balcony. His expression is unreadable once again, but you know him well, and you can see the vulnerability he’s trying too hard to hide.

You can see through the masks he’s made for himself. You were the first one to take them away from him.

You don’t speak a word, don’t push toward telling you any more than you already have. He will tell you, or Sid will, and you doubt he’s going to let the latter happen. You guess he’s just waiting to find it in himself to do it, and that’s something you, for once, don’t mind waiting for. You can stretch out a few more minutes.

He finally turns back to you, his gaze exposing the worry he was hiding. He shows it around you. He’s taught himself to, for the most part, not keep things in with you. He’ll let you see him like this because he knows that he can trust you to.

“___.”

He utters your name, almost unsurely, delicately. There’s desperation there, desperation for you to tell him that you can wait, that you don’t want to know, that he doesn’t need to do this now. You watch him back, expression soft and kind, lips graced by a tiny smile. You breathe out the two words he probably doesn’t want to hear the most.

“Tell me.”

He lets out a ragged breath, real loss of control showing and evident in his body language.

Without a word, he tightens his grip on your arm, using it to pull you toward him. His arm curls around your back, enveloping you in an almost painfully constricting embrace. He releases your hand to cradle your head against his chest. You can hear his uneven, although still quiet, breaths as they move through him, and can feel his almost erratic heartbeat under your hand when it presses against his shirt.

“Allow me this, for a few moments.” His voice is low and not as shaky as you’d expect, but his slightly trembling arms tell you everything you need to know. “Please.”

Your chest aches for him, wanting him to stop feeling upset and angry, just wanting this to be over. Still, you reach up to wind your arms around his neck, returning his embrace, whispering soothingly, “Of course.”

You count a whole minute standing there, letting him hold you and press his face into your hair, fingers sifting through the locks every few moments. It’s completely and utterly silent in the room apart from his deep breaths, both of you washed in the moonlight coming in from outside.

At long last, your body and mind rejoicing when he does, he brings his hands up to cup your face and press his lips to your forehead. He kisses it slowly, softly, but also intimately and lovingly. Your eyes drift closed, hands sliding down to rest on his chest again.

“I apologise for running away from this.”

You still in his hold, thoughts racing a hundred miles ahead.

This is it. This is the moment where everything could change.

Your heart is slamming in your rib cage again. You can hardly breathe. Your emotions are all over the place, that hope that you’re right stronger and burning brighter than ever, mind crying out for its judgement to have been correct. You almost start to pray, desperate for him to speak the words you want him to say.

“We, as in every single one of us, despite the fact that we’ve always said it would never happen…”

You squeeze your eyes shut. His thumbs rub across your cheeks.

“Are completely and utterly in love with you.”

Never in your life, ever, even when your father died, have you felt a surge of emotion this strong.

Your breath rushes out of you, almost like your relief has winded you. Your fingers clutch his shirt, heartbeat stuttering and faltering.

_They love me._

You feel tears building up in your eyes, but you keep them closed, waiting for them to disappear.

_I was right. Thank God, oh thank everything, all the stars and everything in this world…_

“I will not expect an answer right now. If you want time to think over it, that is fine. We can wait. We’ve made you wait for long enough.” You feel him smile ever so slightly into your skin. “Although, an indication would be helpful.”

You are still struggling to get your breathing back under your control, but you make yourself swallow back the excitement and love and urge to cry. Managing to make your voice stronger than you thought, you instead respond in an almost inaudible whisper. “I will give my answer tonight.”

You feel him nod just slightly. “Of course. I will wait downstairs with the others. They will not disturb you; I will make sure everyone remains down there.”

“Thank you.” You mumble in return. He kisses your forehead once more, the warmth and tenderness of the touch making even more tears surface. For all that he was so angry and afraid before, now it’s like he’s the complete opposite, and doing what he always does without thinking; he’s acting in a way with you that is so gentle and kind that it’s almost unbearable.

He doesn’t say anything more. He withdraws his hands and pulls back from you, and you open your somewhat tear-blurred eyes to watch him make his way to the door. He opens it and pauses for a second, as if he wants to speak. But then, he slips out and shuts the door quietly, leaving you alone.

You sink to the floor, legs giving out at the weight of what he just told you. It’s like you thought, although you hadn’t put much faith in it being _all_ of them. Even Albert and Alyn? Even Robert? You don’t understand how every single one is in love with you. You can’t even understand how one of them would be, to be honest with yourself.

But then… look at you. You’re in love with them all.

A sound that’s a cross between an elated laugh and a cry escapes you, and you quickly cover your mouth to muffle it. Your tears escape, and you let yourself cry now, since you don’t want to go down and then burst into tears; they’ll probably end up hysterical if you do.

You keep your cries quiet, but this isn’t like yesterday when it felt miserable to cry. This… this feels good. This is all of your worry, every last drop and every last thought about this being something much worse draining away. You stare up at the blurry sky, chanting thank you in your head, internally screaming your gratitude to the stars and the moon.

Maybe three minutes pass, at which point you dry your eyes and cheeks, heading into the bathroom to splash some water on your face again. You stare at your reflection in the mirror, thinking that you look like a wreck, but you feel so much better already. You’re not out of the woods yet, not by far, since you don’t know how they’ll react to your feelings. But, you feel like you’ve gotten past the worst part. You’re sure now, absolutely certain, that you’ll get through this no matter what.

_I want to see them._

You dry your face once more, giving your skin a moment to settle down and for the redness around your eyes to disappear. When you look almost normal, you nod to yourself, fixing your clothes and making yourself as presentable as possible.

Ready to make the final leap, you open your door and head for the hall to the stairs.

It’s completely silent and empty when you enter the stairwell. You can hear absolutely nothing from the living room, nor any of the other rooms. That sort of makes you feel a bit nervous, but at the same time it’s good. It means they’re not fighting. It means there’s peace, at least for now.

_Come on. I can do this. Sid said they wouldn’t want to lose me, and that I would be the one to end everything if that ever happened. Let’s just get it over and done with._

You creep around the doorway into the hallway, then cross your arms over your stomach and enter the living room.

Everyone except Sid and Alyn are sat down in the same places as before, and all of them look somewhere on the spectrums of afraid, worried, exhausted or completely upset. Sid is leaning against the wall to your left, while Alyn is doing the same against the wall near Leo, next to the TV.

Your insides twist at the sight, but this disappears when nine pairs of eyes turn to look at you. Giles, Robert and Louis stand up, rotating to be able to see you. Your skin prickles, adrenaline rushing through you, but you try to force down your body’s reactions while you speak. You don’t quite know how to phrase this at all, nor do you know how to approach it. So, you do what you've always done with them; you’re honest, and say exactly what you’re thinking.

“I…” A wave of fear rushes through you, but you push through it, looking at each of them individually. “I have my answer.”

You go for it.

It’s now or never.

“I’m in love with all of you. There’s not one of you that I love any more or less.”

The reactions are not what you expect.

You look around the room gradually, moving clockwise.

Sid breaks out into a huge, victorious grin. His whole expression lights up like the sun, real happiness, real, genuine love and adoration in his eyes.

Nico lets out a breathy, shaking laugh, relief painfully clear on his face. His beaming smile is almost blinding, gaze completely focused on you, more full of joy than you’ve ever seen before in your life.

Louis brings his hand up to his mouth, eyes filling with tears. However, when lowers his hand slightly, you see a breathtaking smile on his face, and a soft, trembling laugh spills over his lips.

Robert breaks into a grin, one so beatific and pure that it takes _your_ breath away. He runs his hands through his hair, pulling it back from his face, before he places a hand on Louis’ shoulder, all the while watching you with proud, ecstatic eyes.

Giles seems to react almost like you did, heaving out a long breath, before he places a hand over his heart. A deep, rich laugh erupts from him, his expression relaxing and body losing the earlier tension it had with relief.

Alyn’s eyes go wide for a few seconds while he stares at you, and then a blush practically explodes in his cheeks, and his body sags forward. He bends over, seeming to need to breathe while he supports himself on his knees. He raises his head after a moment, though, and sends you a somewhat exasperated grin.

Leo gives you a blindingly bright smile, relief, joy and love blazing in his gaze. He laughs like Giles does, almost out of breath and seemingly hit rather hard by the relief, but he nonetheless places a hand on Alyn’s shoulder, never taking his eyes from your face.

Albert seems to sort of collapse on himself at first, putting his elbows on his knees and dropping hid head down. You watch him breath out heavily, then lift his head back up and nudge his glasses, cheeks burning but a smile trying desperately to spread across his lips.

And finally, Byron seems to be almost stunned into silence, expression showing disbelief for a brief moment. Then, he drags his gaze from you to meet Sid’s, before he shakes his head, a gorgeous grin breaking across his mouth.

“Um…” Your nerves still aren’t quite settling, and you’re not exactly certain what this means. “Is that a good thing?”

There’s a simultaneous round of laughter from them all, even Albert and Byron. Your heart sings, and you guess that it’s good. Sid rolls his eyes, pushing off from the wall to bound over to you. “You crazy girl, it’s the best outcome we were ready for.”

Without warning, he scoops you up in his arms, trapping you in his grip before lifting you off the ground. He spins you both around, drawing a surprised, somewhat confused but simultaneously relieved laugh from you. You throw your arms around his neck, hugging him back just as forcefully, until he eventually sets you on your feet.

“But, aren’t you annoyed? I mean, I’m guessing it’s probably not what you’d all want-” You try to wrap your head around this, not quite understanding the whole thing, but Sid clamps his hand around you mouth and yanks you back into him, just like he did earlier. His free arm slides around your waist, and the touch feels almost electric now that you know how he feels.

“Well, let’s put it this way; the whole thing is a really long, complicated story, but basically when we first started realising that others in the group felt the same way, most of us were pissed, if not at least unhappy about it. We fought quite a lot about it, and I’m not going to lie, me and Louis actually got into a fistfight from it. Remember that time when we both got ‘sick’ and you couldn’t help to take care of us because you were told it was a really infectious illness?”

Your eyes go wide. He howls with laughter. “Exactly, Princess.” He shakes his head, still grinning away. “Pretty much, we were angry with each other for a long time, until we sort of realised that, even though the thought was at first horrible to even consider, anything else wouldn’t work.

“I’m not objectifying you here, but the idea of essentially sharing you in this sort of way was pretty fucking awful. But then, we got to thinking that, if we weren’t open to it, only one of us, or at least not all of us, would be able to have you, and that would put some pretty big dents in the group. We would have accepted it anyway if you had only loved one of us or whatever – assuming that you loved us at all, which wasn’t guaranteed anyway. However, by at least considering this happening, we were able to get an alternative option which, while it’s not exactly perfect, it is in a twisted sort of way.”

Leo picks up here, still beaming at you. “By doing this, we were giving ourselves the chance of still having you with us, but also of not losing each other. We love this group and what we are, and although some of us have certain grudges that can’t seem to be fixed,”

He eyes Sid and Louis for a moment, smile stretching into a grin. “We all need each other. This is who we are. We didn’t want anything to change, and because of that, the idea of doing this suddenly seemed like something that could save us, rather than end us.”

“And so,” Giles chuckles out. “We started to work with each other – admittedly shockingly well – in order to ensure that everyone in the group would be able to work with this and would be able to cope with what it would involve. That is what took time while you were here, because we had been experimenting with it subtly in college, but here we were able to expand what we were doing and essentially see how much all of us could take.”

Everything clicks.

_So this is why they’ve been so protective and touchy-feely with me._

“Granted,” Nico giggles. “I don’t know about the others, but I was struggling to control myself while you’ve been here. It’s been like having you with us properly, and it’s been hard to remember that. Oops.”

You process everything they’ve said, nodding very slowly. “Wow.” You breathe out after a second, Sid’s hand having removed itself to join his other around your waist. “I think I’m in shock.” There’s another bout of laughs, but this time you join in. “Sorry.”

Albert is the one to reply to this, still a bit red and eyes wide. “What are you apologising for?”

Your face heats up quickly, and you bring your hand up to try and cover your reddening cheeks. “Well… for causing a lot more trouble than I realised I was. And for falling in love with nine people. It’s not exactly normal, is it?”

There’s a collection of sighs from them all, and Alyn rolls his eyes, while Albert scowls and speaks dryly. “You cannot apologise for causing trouble, because all of the trouble was caused by our response to…” He clears his throat, glancing away from you. “How much we… ahem… love you.”

Oh, Lord.

Your face goes completely red at the words, and you see Albert turning his head to be hidden from everyone, cheeks filled with blood. You cover yours with your hands, feeling your heart pounding in you again.

“And as for falling in love with nine people, you cannot blame yourself for that. If that is the what your heart decides, and what you feel, that is not something to be ashamed of.”

Byron’s words are delivered coolly but kindly, and he stands up before approaching you, something you see while you slowly bring your hands away from your face. He smiles at you gently, reaching up to take your wrists, then turn your hands upwards and kiss both of them softly.

“Just because it is not common does not make it abnormal. You are human, arguably more so than many people, because of your outstanding capability to love. And this, what we all have with each other, is leaps and bounds more genuine and truer than a large amount of the ‘socially acceptable’ relationships in the world.”

Your heart soars with love, and you nod fiercely, a beautiful smile gracing your lips. Sid smirks at Byron, inclining his head. “What did I tell you? I knew I was right.”

Byron gives him a miniature eye-roll, but he’s still smiling when he looks up at him. “You couldn’t have known that for certain, but yes, I suppose you were.”

Sid snorts. “Nice apology.”

It’s now that Nico comes bouncing over, swinging you out of Sid’s arms and into his own. He leans down to touch his forehead to yours, grinning all the while. “I haven’t hugged you yet. Can I, Princess?”

You laugh lightly at his innocent tone of voice. “Of course you can.”

He crushes you in his arms, nuzzling his nose against yours in an almost painfully adorable Eskimo kiss. You can’t help but giggle, the light touch tickling you pleasantly.

“Princess.” You hear Giles say behind you. You break away from Nico to glance over your shoulder, seeing the former watching with a satisfied smile, arms crossed habitually.

“While I don’t think that we should rush into going through the details of this whole thing, it would be preferable if we could know where you stand in regards to this arrangement. As in, whether or not you would like to formally enter into a relationship with us, by which things would change marginally in terms of us, for example, calling you our girlfriend amongst ourselves. Or just remain as we are, with the new knowledge of our romantic feelings.”

You can feel yourself blushing again. All of them look straight at you, and you clear your throat, trying to stop yourself from turning red. “Um…”

Giles chuckles, seeing your blush. “Worry not. We can decide later; it was more so that we would know now what we will be going over tomorrow.”

You absently drop your head against Nico’s shoulder, mulling it over. Do you want to officially enter into a relationship with them? It would only be when you’re away from other people, but would you enjoy them calling you your girlfriend and interacting with you as such? Would you rather just try to stay as you are now?

You think about how hard it’s been to contain your feelings just in the two days you’ve understood them.

There’s no chance you can stay the same now.

Nico has had his cheek resting against the top of your head up until this point, rocking you from side to side in his arms contentedly, but he raises his head when you pull back a bit. You smile at him, then turn to Giles. You give him your answer, still lightly blushing but voice firm and sure. “I’d like to enter into a relationship with you all, if you’re all okay with doing it.”

His eyes light up, practically exploding with joy and excitement. He nods, speaking softly. “Of course. We’ve already discussed this and made sure that we are all ready and willing to do so.”

“So,” Nico chirps in your ear, drawing your attention to him. “You’re now truly _our_ Princess.”

A flutter of your own excitement and adrenaline rolls through you, body heating up in Nico’s arms. You find yourself grinning again, unable to hold it back. “Yes, I am. I suppose that makes all of you _my_ princes now.”

They all go still. You glance around them, seeing them all blushing to some extent. You feel a swell of pride and love at how adorable they all look.

Leo lets out a hearty laugh, shaking his head. “Ahh, we’re no match for you, Princess.”

You go to speak, but you pause when you hear the chiming of the clock tower and the clocks around the house, signalling midnight. Thinking that it’s fitting for this to have happened just before the start of the new day, you let out a quiet sigh of contentment, thanking the world and whatever powers there might be around you for giving you such happiness.

“I think that’s our cue to go to bed. We all need rest, after everything that’s happened.” Byron suggests, looking around everyone. His gaze settles on you, softening with mild amusement. “Or should I say for you, that it’s your cue to go back to bed.” You nod, still smiling brightly. He returns it. “Would you still like to sleep in the big room?”

“Yes.” Your reply is a bit too quick for your liking, but the boys only chuckle or smile. You give Nico a squeeze, feeling him give it back, before you detach yourself reluctantly and step away. “Is everyone still sleeping in the big room?”

There are agreements all around, which makes your insides twist pleasantly. Satisfied with everyone knowing what they’re doing, Byron makes his way out of the room, with Albert following behind him. Sid slips out, Leo doing the same, and Alyn wanders after him, almost seeming smug. Nico bounces out, and Louis steps up close to you, pulling you into his arms. He cradles your head against his chest, wrapping his free arm around your waist.

“Thank you, ___.” He whispers into your hair, voice soft and quiet like a feather. “You’ve managed to make me happier than I ever have been all over again.”

You feel almost winded again by the surge of emotions that burst in you, and you hug his middle tightly, murmuring back, “You’re welcome, Louis. Thank you.”

He sighs contentedly, remaining there for a few seconds, before letting go of you and bringing his hand up to briefly cup your cheek. Giving you a breath-taking smile, he drops his hand, then walks to the door and leaves. That leaves yourself, Giles and Robert. The first three members of the group, alone together again.

Giles takes your left hand, and Robert your right. The former speaks in a tone you’ve never heard before, one that almost entrances you. “Let’s get you back to bed, Princess.”

Your head bobs up and down, a quiet laugh escaping you. They both walk out of the living room with you, the others having already gone to their rooms, with the entrance and stairs empty. They escort you up the stairs and into the hallway, where they give your hands a squeeze before letting go. You feel the absence of their touches almost immediately, but you resist the urge to grab them again and just beam at them, going into the big room.

You practically skip over to the bed, hopping on and crawling over to where you were sleeping before. Settling down under the cream blanket again, you place a hand over your heart, feeling it to be thudding hard under your skin. A stunning smile gracing your lips, you bury your face in the pillow, unable to stop yourself from grinning.

A few minutes of peaceful quiet pass while you lie there, waiting for the boys to return. No, _your_ boys. Thinking of them as that sends a thrill of excitement shooting through you, and you bring your hand up to your mouth, touching your ring to your lips, holding onto what it means to you.

Finally, they all come in pretty much at once. Sid saunters in, heading straight for you. “Dibs.”

Nico runs up to him and swerves around him, giggling out, “Nope! Mine!”

Sid scowls at him, catching his arm and dragging him back, then ruffling his hair while the smaller boy struggles in his grip. “Oh no you don’t, I still owe you from you being in on pushing me and Alyn into the water today.”

Nico yelps, doubling his efforts to escape. They end up play fighting, rolling around on the floor near the bed, while Byron and Albert stare down at them blankly. Leo jumps onto the bed and lies down so his head is near your stomach, making a right angle between your bodies. He tugs a pillow over and puts it under his head, grinning away. “I’m sleeping right here.”

You laugh lightly, nodding. Alyn hops on and plops down next to Leo, although not too close, of course. He puts his head on a pillow next to your arm and shoulder, leaving both of the twins near your upper-left side. Louis joins them both, lying down so that his body is facing the opposite way to Leo’s, his head on the other side of your stomach on a pillow.

Confused and simultaneously amazed by their synchronised positioning of themselves around you, you can only prop yourself up on your elbows and stare as Giles and Robert find themselves pillows and situate themselves next to Leo and Louis, lying down near your hips.

You hear Byron sigh and look up, seeing Albert grab the back of Nico’s shirt, then yank him up and to his feet from his attacking position on top of Sid. Albert scoffs, muttering dryly, “You really are so immature. Grow up.”

Nico slaps Albert’s hand away, retorting, “You’re just jealous because you don’t _have_ a childish bone in your body, Al.”

Nico ignores Albert’s insults as he mumbles them under his breath, instead coming to put a pillow just under your legs, facing you diagonally. Sid does the same after he stands up and fixes his hair, lying down on your left side.

Byron moves to jump on the bed above you after closing the door, and you see him incline his head to Albert, motioning for him lie down in the space next to your right shoulder. Although Albert’s seems to blush a bit, he nods, and they both finds pillows before lying down. Now, Byron is above you, his body facing the opposite way to yours, while Albert is in the opposite place to Alyn.

A bit flushed yourself, you clear your throat and lie down, staring up at the ceiling. “What’s with the new sleeping positions? I’m not complaining; just… curious.”

Sid laughs darkly, and Leo chuckles. The latter is the one to answer. “We’ll go over all the specifics of stuff like this tomorrow, so this is just temporary for tonight. Is this okay?”

Ah. That makes sense. “Yeah, it’s fine. No promises that I won’t kick anyone at some point, though. I apologise in advance if I do.”

There’s another rumbled laugh around you. Your already fast heartbeat quickens again. Still, you close your eyes and get comfy, feeling the warmth coming from the boys and the security from having them all this close.

It feels surreal, like a dream, knowing that it all worked out so well, that you all basically got the best ending to the story that you could have. It’s not perfect and you guess it’s going to be difficult, but you’re ready and willing to face whatever comes.

You’ll do anything to preserve what you have with them, now more than ever before.

You start to drift into blissful sleep when you hear Byron speak, and the others follow after.

“Goodnight, ___.”

“Sleep tight, ___.”

“Sweet dreams, Princess.”

“Goodnight, ___.”

“Sweet dreams, ___!”

“Night night, Princess.”

“Goodnight and sweet dreams, ___.”

“Goodnight, Princess.”

“Sleep well, ___.”

Your heart soars, a beaming grin on your face.

“Goodnight, guys. Sweet dreams.”

And so begins the start of a new part of your life, with your princes by your side. You know you’ll face hardships, but you’ll do it together, will stay together and fight together, until the very end, and will love each other all the way there.


End file.
